



COfVRIGHT DEFOStafe 


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msiBBiBaLaesLL 


ToRJC^Tlor/ Of TNC 6 g^TC 0 F\y»^ C.^ WNjMFCd UT£f<jVTOKe 




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MIDSHIPMAN. 


BT 


W. H. G. KINGSTON, 

> I 

AUTHOR OF “MARK SEAWORTH,” “SALT 
WATER,” Etc. 


k«i-¥d »t th« Po8* Offlc®, jr. T., ai ■econd-cl&M m&tter. SP 
Copyrirht, ISSi, by Johm W. Lothix Co. ^ 


NEW YORK; 


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LOVELL’S LIBRARY -CATALOGl 


1. Hyperion, Longfellow .20 

2. Outfe-Mer, do .20 

3. The Happy Boy, BjOm- 

son 10 

4. Arno, toy BjOrnson ... .JO 

5. Frankenstein, Shelley. .10 
0. Last of the Mohicans. .20 
'7. Clytie, Joseph Hatton. .20 

8. The Moonstone, Part I .10 

9, The Moonstone, Part II . 10 
' 10. lOlivfer Twist, Dickens. .20 

11. Coming Race, Lytton. .10 

12. Leila, toy Lord Lytton. .10 

13. The Three Spaniards. . .20 

14. The Tricks of the 

Greeks .Unveiled 30 

15. L’Abbd Constantin. .. .20 

10. Freckles, by Redcliff . .20 

17. The Dark Colleen, Jay .20 

18. They were Married!.. .10 

19. Seekers after God .20 

20. The Spanish Nun 10 

21. Green Mountain Boys .20 

22. Fleurette, Scribe 20 

23. Second Thoughts 20 

24. The New Magdalen. .. .20 

25. Divorce, Margaret Lee .20 

26. Life of Washington. . . .20 

27. Social Etiquette 15 

28. Single Heart and Dou- 
ble Pace, Chas. Reade .10 

29. Irene, by Carl Detlef. . .20 

30. Vice Versa, P. Anstoy .20 
,31. Ernest Maltravers..... .20 

32. The Haunt dii House. .10 

33. John Halifax, Mulock .20 
3-1. 800 Leagues on the 

Amazon, by Verne.. .10 

35. The Cryptogram 10 

36. Life of Marion 20 

31'. Paul and Virginia 10 

38. Tale of Two Cities 20 


-39. The Hormits, Kingsley .20 

40. An Adventure in 

Thule, and Marriage 
of M. Fergus, Black. .10 

41. Marriage in High Life. .20 
■> 42, Robin, by Mrs. Parr.. .20 

43i. Two, oh a Tower 20 

44’. RasSelae, Dr. Johnson .10 
45; Alice; or. Mysteries.. .20 
46.. Duke of Kandos 20 

47. Baron Munchausen .. . .10 

48. A Princess of Thule. . . .20 

49. The Secret Despatch . . .20 

50. Early Days of Chris- 


tianity 20 

Do., Part II 20 

51. Vicar of Wakefield... .10 

52. Progress and Poverty. .20 

53. The Spy, toy Cooper.. .20 

54. East Lynne, Mrs Wood .20 

55. A Strange Story.. .. .20 

56. Adam Bede, Eliot, P’t I .15 

Do,, PartU 15 

57. The Golden Shaft 20 


58. Portia, toy The Duchess .20 

59. Last Days of Pompeii, 

60. The Two Duchesses.. . .20 


61. Tom Brown’s School 

Days 20 

62. The V ooing O’t, P,t I .15 
The WooiugO’t, P t II .15 


63. ThoVendeta. Balzac, .20 
fil, Hypatia, toy Kingsley, .15 
Do., Part n. ... 15 

65. Selma, by Mrs. Smith. .15 

66. Margaret and her 

Brioeemaids. .30 

67. Horse Shoe Robinson .15 

Do.. Part II 15 

68. Gulliver’s Travels 20 

69. Amos Barton, by Eliot .10 

70. The Berber, by Mayo. .20 

71. Silas Mamer, by Eliot .10 

72. Queen of the County.. 2P 


73. Life of Cromwell, Hood. 15 

74. Jane Eyre, by Bronte. .20 

75. Child’s Hist. Englaud. ..20 

76. Molly Bawn, Dnehess .20 

77. Pillone, by BergsOe.. . .15 

78. Phyllis, The Duchess, .JIO 

79. Romola, Eliot, Part I. .15 
Romola, Eliot, Part II ‘ ,16 

80. Science in Short Chap- 

ters .20 

81. Zanoni, toy Lytton 20 

82. A Daughter of Heth... .20 

83. The Right and Wrong I 

Uses of the Bible 20 

84. Night and Moraiug... .15 

Do., Part n 15 

85. Shandon Bells, Black. .20 

86. Monica, The Duchess. .10 

87. Heart and Science 20 

88. The Golden Calf 20 

89. The Dean’s Daughter. .20 

90. Mrs. Geoffrey .Duchess .20 

91. Pickwick Papers, P’t I .20 

Do., Part II .20 

92. Airy, Fairy Lilian 20 

93. Macleod of Dare 20 

94. Tempest Tossed 2 ' 

Do., Part II .20 

95. Letters from High Lat- 

itudes. Earl Dnflferin .20 

96. Gideon Fleyce 20 

97. India and Ceylon 20 

98. The Gypsy Queen, . . . .20 

99. The Admiral’s Ward.'. .20 

100. Nimport, Bynuer, P’t 1 .15 

K import, Part II •. .15 

101. Harry Holbrooke 20 

102. Tritons, Bynner, P’tl. .15 

Tritons, Part II 15 

103. LetNoth’g You Dismay .10 
10,4. Lady Audley’s Secret. 20 
105. .Woman’s Place To-day .20 
106*. j!|urtallan,toy Kennedy .15 

Part 11. 15 

107. •Housekeeping and 

Homemaking ,.15 

ins. No New Thing, Norris .20 

109. Spoopendyke Papers. .20, 

110. False Hopes 15 

111. Labor and Capital 20 

112. Wanda, Ouida, Part I. .15 

Wi^nda, Part II I5 


113. More Woi 

the Bible 

114. Monsieur D 
Monsieur Li 

115. Outline of 

116. TheLeroug 

117. Paul Clifton 

118. A New Leai • v 

119. Bourbon Li , j . 

120. Other Peop 

121. The Lady 

122. Ameline dc 

123. A Sea Quee ■ 
i'-Jl. Thej Ladies ■ 

125. Haunted H* 

126. Loys, Lord,. . ■ A . 

127. Under Two, ; 
Do. (Ouida),. ■ 

128. Money, Lon . 

129. In Peril of '.X . - 

130. India; Whin ; 

Teach Us? 

,131. Jets and Fla 
132. Moonshine 

guerites ... n 
153. Mr. Scarl 
Family .... 

Do., Part II. 

134. ArtUm, Mary i 

135. Tower of Pe 

136. Y^olaude, W 

137. Cruel Londi 

138. The Gilded ( 

139. Pike County 

140. Cricket on t; .. 

141. Henry Esme 

142. Strange Adv 

a Phaeton 

143. Denis Duva 

eray.. 

144. Old Curios. 

Do., Part n 

145. Ivanhoe, Sc( 

Do.. Part if. 

146. White Wink 

147. The Sketch . 

148. Catherine, 1 

149. Janet’s Rep *■>- 

150. Barnatoy Ru 
Barnatoy Ru< r. ' 

151. Felix Holt, t ^ - 
162. Richelieu, bj 

153. Sunrise, Blac 

Do , Part II. I 

154. Tour of the ; » a 1 

. Eighty Dai : 

165. Mystery of ^ 

156. Lovel, theM 

157. Romantic Au i 

of aMilkma. i 

158. David Coppe I 

Do., Part IP 

159. Charlotte Tt . . j 

160. Rienzi, Lytto ' 

Do., Part II. 

161. Promise of 1 

162. Faith and U I 

163. The Happy i 
161, Barry Lynd-' 


( 


THE MIDSHIPMAN 

MAKMADUKE MERRY. 


CHAPTER I. 

I BELONG to the family of the Merrye of Leicester- 
shire; Our chief characteristic was well suited to our 
patronymic. “ Merry by name and merry by narure,"* 
was a common saying among us. Indeed, a more good 
natured, laughing, happy set of people it would be difh 
cult to find. Right jovial was the rattle of tongues and 

the cdchinnation which went forward whenever we were 

% 

assembled together either at breakfast or dinner or sup- 
per ; our father and mother setting us the example, so 
that we began the day with a hearty laugh, and finished 
it with a heartier. “ Laugh and grow fat ” is an 
apophthegm which all people cannot follow, but our 
mother did in the most satisfactory manner. Her skin 
was fair and most thoroughly comfortably filled out ; 
her bain was light, and her contented spirit beamed out 
from a pair of large laughing blue eyes, so that it was a ^ 

pleasure to look at her as she sat at the head of tha 


i 


4 MAKMADUKE MERRY, THE :\ni>S 3IRMA .'R 

table, serving out the viands to her hungry progeny 
Our sisters were very like her, and came fairly under 
the denomination of jolly girls ; and thoroughly jolly 
they were ; — none of them ever had a headache or a 
toothache, or any other ache that I know of. Our 
father was a good specimen of a thorough English coun- 
try gentleman ; he was thorough in every thing, honest- 
faced, stout, and hearty, not over refined, perhaps, but 
yet gentle in all his thoughts and acts ; a hater of a lie 
and every thing dishonorable, hospitable and generous 
to the utmost of his means ; a protector of the poor and 
helpless, and a friend to all his neighbors. Yes, and 1 
may say more, both he and my mother were humble, 
sincere Christians, and made the law of the Bible theii 
rule of life. He told a good story and laughed at it 
himself, and delighted to see our mother and us laugh 
at it also. Had he been bred a lawj'-er, and lived in 
London, he would have been looked upon as a first-rate 
wit ; but I am certain that he was much happier with 
the lot awarded to him. He had a good estate ; his 
tenants paid their rents regularly ; and he had few or 
no cares to disturb his digestion or to keep him awake 
at night ; and I am very certain that he would fat 
rather have had us to hear his jokes, and laugh at ther"* 
with him, than all the wits London ever produced. H< 
delighted in joining in all our sports, either of the field 
or flood, and we always looked forward to certain amuse- 
ment when he was able to accompany us. He was our 
companion and friend ; we had no secrets from him, — 
why should we ? He was always our best adviser,’ and 
if we got into scrapes, which one or the other of us waj 


MAR3IADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


6 


not unfrequently doing, we were very certain that no 
one could extricate us as well as he could. I don’t 
mean to say that he forgot the proverb, “ Spare the rod, 
spoil the child ; ” or that we were such pieces of perfec- 
tion that we did not deserve punishment ; but we had 
sense enough to see that he punished us for our good : 
he did it calmly, never angrily, and without any unne- 
cessarily severe remark, and we certainly did not love 
him the less for the sharpest flogging he ever gave us. 
Directly afterwards, he would meet the culprit in his 
usual frank, hearty way, and seem to forget all about 
the matter. 

Our sisters were on the same happy intimate terms 
with our mother, and we boys had no secrets with her, 
or with them either. 

Our father used to believe and assert that our family 
had settled in Leicestershire before the Conquest, and, 
in consequence of this notion, he gave us all old English 
names or what he supposed to be such. His own name 
was JoliflTe, and he used to be called by his hunting 
associates, the other gentlemen of the county, Jolly 
Merry. He was not, I should say, far excellence a fox 
hunter, though he subscribed to the county hunt, and 
frequently followed the hounds ; and no one rode better, 
nor did any one’s voice sound more cheerily on copse or 
hill-side than did his, as he greeted a friend, or sang out, 
in the exuberance of his spirits, a loud tallyho-ho. My 
name stood sixth in the Family Bible, and that of Mar- 
maduke had fallen to my lot. We had a Cedric, an 
Athelstane, an Egbert, and an Edwin among the boys, 
and a Bertha, an Edith, and a Winnifred among the 
1 * 


6 


MARjrADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


girls. We all went to school in our turns, but though ‘ 
it was a very good school, we did not like it so much as 
home. When.^ however, we got to school, we used to 
be very jolly, and if other boys pulled long faces we . 
made round ones and laughed away as usual. Our 
school was in Northamptonshire, so that we had not far 
to go, and we kept up a very frequent correspondence 
with home, from which, in consequence of its vicinity, 
we received more hampers laden with cakes and tongues, 
and pots of jam, and similar comestible articles, than 
most of our companions. I do not say that we should 
not otherwise have been favorites, but it might have 
been remarked that the attentions and willingness to 
oblige us of our companions increased in proportion to 
the size of our hampers, and our readiness to dispense 
their contents. 

However, I wih not dwell on my school life. I 
imbibed a certain amount of classical and elementary 
knowledge of a somewhat miscellaneous description, 
and received not a few canings, generally for laughing 
in my class at something which tickled my fancy, when 
I ought not to have allowed my fancy to be tickled ; 
but altogether my conduct was such that I believe I 
was considered to have brought no discredit on the 
Merry name or fame. Such was my uneventful career 
at school. 

We were all at home for the summer holidays. We 
were seated at breakfast. What a rattle of tongues, 
and knives, and forks, and cups, and saucers tliere was 
going on. What vast slices of bread and butter were 
disappearing within our w'ell-practised jaws. Various 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


7 


cries proceeded from each side of the table. “ Bertha, 
another cup of tea.” ‘‘ Bertha, some more milk.’ 

Bertha, you haven’t given me sugar enough by half.’ 

Bertha, I like strong tea ; no wish-wash for me.” 

Bertha w^as our oldest sister and tea-maker general 
She had no sinecure office of it ; but, in spite often of 
the most unreasonable demands, she dispensed the bev 
erage with the most perfect justice and good-humor 
Not unsatisfactory were the visits paid to the side-board 
covered as it was with brawn, and ham, and tongue, and 
a piece of cold beef, and such like substantial fare. 

Suddenly the tenor of our conversation was turned 
by the entrance of the servant with the post-bag. The 
elders were silent for a few minutes, — our father and 
mother and Bertha, and Cedric, who was at home from 
college. Our mother had a large circle of correspon- 
dents, and seldom a post arrived without a letter for 
her. Our father had fewer ; but this morning he re- 
ceived one in a large official -looking cover, which 
absorbed his attention. Still the clatter of tongues 
\vent on among us younger ones. Our father and 
mother had grown so accustomed to it, that, as the 
miller aw^akes when his mill stops, so they would have 
looked up to ascertain what was the matter had we been 
silent. 

“ Which of you would like to become a midshipman ?” 
asked our father looking up suddenly. 

The question had an effect rarely produced in the 
family. We were all silent. Our mother put down 
her letters, and her fond eyes glanced round on our 
faces. Her countenance was unusually grave. 


8 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAK. 

Again mj father looked at the document in his hand 
“ Captain Collyer says he should not be more than four- 
te3n. Marmaduke, that is your age. What do you 
say on the subject ? ” said my father. 

“Joliffe, what is it all about?” asked my mother, 
with a slight trepidation in her voice. 

“ I forgot that I had not read the letter. It is rather 
long. It is from my old friend, Dick Collyer, and a 
better fellow does not breathe. The tenor of it is that 
he has got command of a fine frigate, The Doris, fitting 
with all despatch for sea, and that he will take one of 
our boys as a midshipman, if we like to send the young- 
ster with him. There is no time to lose, as he expects 
to be ready in a week or ten days ; so we must decide 
at once.” 

The question was put indirectly to me, “ Should I 
like to go to sea ? ” Now, I had never even seen the 
sea, and had never realized what a man-of-war was 
like. The largest floating thing to which I was accus- 
tomed was the miller’s punt, in which my brothers and 
I used occasionally to paddle about on the mill-pond ; 
in which mill-pond, by the by, we had all learned to 
swim. I had seen pictures of ships, though as to the 
size of one, and the number of men she might carry, I 
was profoundly ignorant. I was, therefore, not very 
well qualified to come to a decision. Suddenly I recol 
lected a visit paid to us by Tom Welby, an old school- 
fellow, after his first trip to sea, and what a jolly life I 
thought he must lead as he described his adventures, 
and how fine a fellow he looked as he strutted about 
with his dirk at his side, the white patch on his collar, 


MARMADUKE MERRr, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


9 


and the cockade in his bat. I decided at once. “ If 
you wish it, father, I’m ready to go,” said I. 

My father looked at me affectionately. There was, I 
am certain, a conflict going on in his mind whether or 
not he should part with me ; but prudence conquered 
love. 

“ Of course, you must all have professions, boys, and 
the navy is a very fine one,” he observed. “ What do 
you say, Mary ? ” 

My mother was too sensible a woman to make any 
objections to so promising an offer if I did not; and 
therefore, before we rose from the breakfast table, it was 
settled that I was to be a midshipman, and we were all 
soon laughing away as heartily as ever. The news that 
Master Marmaduke was going away to sea quickly 
reached the servants’ hall, and from thence spread over 
the village. 

Not a moment was lost by our mother in commencing 
the preparations for my outfit. Stores of calico were 
produced, and she and Bertha had cut out a set of shirts 
and distributed them to be made before noon. While 
they were thus employed, I went down to have a talk 
with my father, and to have ray ignorance on nautical 
affairs somewhat enlightened, though he, I found, knew 
very little more about them than I did. W^hile I was 
in the study the footman came to say that Widow Bluff 
wished to see him. “ Let her come in,” was his reply. 
‘‘Well, dame, what is it you want this morning?” he 
asked, in his cheery encouraging tone as she appeared. 

“ Why, sir, I hears how Master Marmaduke’s going 
away to sea, and I comes to ask if he’ll take my boy 
Toby wi’ him,” answered the dame, promptly. 

N 


10 MAKMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMiN. 

*• What, Mrs. Bluff, do you wish him to be an officer ? * 
said my father. 

“ Blessy no, sir. It’s to be his servant like. I sup- 
pose he’ll want some one to clean his shoes and brush 
his clothes, and such little things, and I’d be proud for 
my Toby to do that,” answered the dame. Now, I had 
always thought Toby Bluff to be a remarkably dunder- 
headed, loutish fellow, though strong as a lion, and with 
plenty of pluck in his composition. I had helped him 
out of a pond once, and done him some other little ser- 
vice, I fancy ; but I had forgotten all about the matter. 

“ I will see about it, dame,” said my father. “ But I 
doubt if Toby, though a good lad, will ever set the 
Thames on ’fire.” 

“ Blessy heart, I hopes not,” exclaimed the dame, in 
a tone of horror. “ He’d be a hanged, if he did, like 
them as burnt farmer Dobbs’s corn stacks last year.” 

Toby, it appeared, was waiting outside. My father 
sent for him, and found that he really had a very strong 
desire to go to sea, or rather to follow me. Toby had 
an honest round freckled countenance, with large hands 
and broad shoulders, but a slouching awkward gait, 
which ma*de him look far less intelligent than he really 
was. As he had always borne a good character, ray 
father promised to learn if Captain Collyer would take 
him. The answer was in the affirmative. Behold, then, 
Toby Bluff and I about to commence our career on the 
briny ocean. 

I tried to laugh to th i last ; but somehow or other it 
was a harder job than I had ever found it ; and as to 
my mother and sisters, though they said a number of 


UiARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. ll 

funny things, there was a moisture in their eyes and a 
tremulousness in their voices very unusual with them. 
Toby Bluff, as he scrambled up on the box of the chaise, 
which was to take us to meet the London coach, blub- 
bered out with a vehemence M^hich spoke more for the 
sensitiveness of his feelings than for his sense of the 
dignified ; but when his mother, equally overcome, ex- 
claimed, “ Get down, Toby ; I’ll not have thee go, boy, 
an thou takest on so,” he answered sturdily, “ Noa, noa, 
mother ; I’ve said I’d stick to Measter Marmaduke, and 
if he goes. I’ll go to look after him.” 

My brothers cheered and shouted as we drove ofl^ 
and I did my best to shout and cheer in return, as did 
Toby, in spite of his tears. My father accompanied us 
as far as London. We spent but a few hours in that 
big city. 

“ I don’t see that it be so very grand like,” observed 
Toby as we drove through it. “ There bees no streets 
paved with gold, and no Lord Mayor in a gold coach, — 
only bricks and mortar and people running about in a 
precious hurry.” 

Captain Collyer had desired that I should come down 
by the coach to the George at Portsmouth, where he 
would send his cockswain to meet me, and take me to 
the tailor, who would make my uniform — a part of my 
outfit which our country town had been unable to sup- 

ply. 

It was a bright summer morning when my father ac- 
companied us to Piccadilly, whence the Portsmouth 
coach started. 

“ Cheer up, and don t forget your name, Marmad’ike," 


12 MARMADtJKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

he said, wringing my hand as I was climbing on to the 
front seat. He nodded kindly to Toby, who followed 
me closely. Don’t you forget to look after the young 
master, boy,” he added. 

“Noa, squire, while Ts got fists at the end of my 
arms, I won’t, answered Toby. 

“ All right,” shouted the guard, and the coach drove 
off. 

I found myself seated by a tall man with a huge red 
rose, like the beak of an eagle, a copper complexion, 
jet-black piercing eyes, and enormous black bushy 
whiskers. He looked down at me, I thought, with in- 
effable contempt. His clothes were of blue cloth, and 
his hands, which were very large and hairy, were 
marked on the back with strange devices, among which 
I observed an anchor, a ship, and a fish, which made me 
suspect that he must be a nautical character of some 
sort. He addressed the coachman and the passenger on 
the box-seat several times in a wonderfully loud gruff 
voice, but as they showed by their answers that they 
were not inclined to enter into conversation with him, 
he at last turned his attention to me. 

“ Why are you going down to Portsmouth, little boy ? ” 
he asked, in a tone I did not like. 

“ I suppose because I want to get there,” I answered. 

“ Ho ! ho ! ho ! ” His laugh was like the bellowing 
of a bull. “ Going to sea, I fancy,” he remarked. 

“ Yes, going to see Portsmouth,” said I, quietly, “ if I 
keep my eyes open.” 

^ Ho ! ho ! sharp as a needle, I see,” observed the 
big man. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 13 

“ Sharpness runs in the family,” I replied. We were 
well up to this sort of repartee among each other at 
home. 

“ Your name is Sharp, I suppose,” said my friend. 

“ No, only my nature, like a currant or a sour goose- 
berry,” I replied, not able to help laughing myself. 

“ Take care, youngster, you don’t get wounded with 
your own weapon,” said the big man. 

‘‘ Thank you,” I answered, “ but I am not a tailor.” 

“ No — ho, ho, ho, — perhaps not ; but you are little 
more than the ninth part of a man,” said the giant. 

“ The ninth part of you, you mean ; but I am half as 
big as most men now, and hope to be a whole man some 
day, and a captain into the bargain.” 

“ Then I take it you are that important character, a 
new fledged midshipman,” observed my huge com- 
panion. 

“ Judging of you by your size, I should suppose on 
the same grounds that you are nothing less than an 
admiral,” I retorted. 

“ I should be, if I had my deserts, boy,” he replied, 
drawing himself up, and swelling out his chest 

“ Then are you only a captain ? ” I asked. 

“ I once was, boy,” he replied, with a sigh which re- 
sembled the rumbling of a volcano. 

“ Captain of the main-top,” said the gentleman on the 
box, without turning round. 

“ What are you now, then,” I asked. 

‘‘ A boatswain,” uttered the gentleman on the box. 

" Yes, young gentleman, as our friend there says, 1 
am a boatswain,” he exclaimed in a voice of thunder 
2 


14 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

and a very important person is a boatswain on board 
ship, let me tell you, with his call at his mouth, and colt 
in his hand, as your silent companion there will very 
soon find out, for I presume, by the cut of his jib, that 
he is not a midshipman.” 

“ And what is a boatswain on board ship,” I asked, 
with unfeigned simplicity. 

‘‘Every thing from truck to kelson, I may say, is 
under his charge,” he replied consequentially. “ He has 
to look after masts, spars, rigging, sails, cables, anchors, 
and stores j to see that the men are kept under proper 
discipline, and make them smart aloft. In my opinion 
a man-of-war might do without her captain and lieuten- 
ants, but would be no man-of-war without her boat- 
swain.” 

The gentleman on the box laughed outright, but the 
boatswain took no notice of it. I began to think, in 
spite of his coarseness, that he must be a very important 
personage, and probably I showed this in my manner, 
for he went on enlarging on his own importance. 

“ I tell you, young gentleman, it’s my belief that I 
have been round the world ofteUer, and seen more 
strange sights, than any man living.” 

“ I should like to hear some of your adventures,” I 
said. 

“ I dare say you would, and if you like to pay me a 
visit on board the Doris frigate, and will inquire for Mr. 
Jonathan Johnson, the boatswain, I shall be happy to 
see you, and to enlighten your mind a little.” 

“ Why, that is the ship I am going to join,” T ex* 
claimed ; “ didn’t Captain Colly er tell you ? ” 


MAR^IADUKE MERRY, TUE MID S HITMAN. 15 

“ No, he has not as yet communicated that important 
matter to me,” answered Mr. Jonathan Johnson, twist# 
ing his huge nose in a comical way. “ But give us 
your flipper, my hearty, — we are to be shipmates it 
seems. I like you for your dauntless tongue ; if you’ve 
a spirit to match, you’ll do, and I promise you that 
you shall some day hear what you shall hear.” 

The coach stopped at the George. A seaman, who 
announced himself as Sam Edkins, Captain Collyer’s 
cockswain, came up, and touching his hat respectfully to 
Mr. Johnson, helped me off the coach. 

‘‘Well, Edkins, have all the oflicers joined yet?” 
asked the boatswain. 

“ All but the second lieutenant ; he’s expected aboard 
to-day, sir,” was the answer. 

“ What’s his name, Edkins ? I hope he’s not a King’s 
har^ bargain, like some lieutenants I have fallen in 
with, within the last hundred years,” said Mr. John’- 
son. 

“ No, sir ; he’s no hard bargain,” answered Edkins, 
“ I heard the captain say his name is Bryan, the same 
officer who, with twenty hands, cut out a French brig 
of seven guns and ninety men the other day in the West 
Indies.” 

“ All right ; he’ll do for us,” observed Mr. Johnson, 
with a patronizing air. “ By the by, Edkins, have yoi: 
received any directions about this boy ? ” 

“ No, sir ; only that he was to go aboard at once.” 

“ Very well, then. I’ll take him. Come, youngster — 
what’s your name?” 

“ Please, sir, it be Tobias Bluff ; but I be called 


16 MAllMADUKE MERllY, THE MlDSHIPi^I AN, 

Toby most times,” answered my young follower, evi- 
dently awe-struck with the manner and appearance of 
Mr. Johnson. Not an inch did he move, however, from 
my side. 

“ Come along, boy,” cried the boatswain in a thun* 
dering tone which might have been heard half down the 
High Street. 

Noa,” said Toby, looking up undauntedly at him ; 
“ I has a said I’d stick lo the young squire, and I’ll no 
budge from his side, no, not if you bellows louder than 
Farmer Dobb’s big bull.” 

Never had the boatswain been thus bearded by a 
ship’s boy. His black eyes flashed fire — his nose grew 
redder than ever, and seizing him by the collar of his 
jacket, he would have carried him off* in his talons, as 
an eagle does a leveret, had not Edkins and I inter- 
fered. 

“ You see, Mr. Johnson, the boy has the hay-seed in 
his hair, and doesn’t know who you are, or any thing 
about naval discipline,” observed the cockswain. “ If 
you’d let him stay with the young gentleman, I’ll just 
put him up to a thing or two, and bring him aboard by 
and by,” 

Mr. Johnson, who was really not an ill-natured man, 
agreed to this, remarking, “ Mind, boy, the king is a 
great man ashore, but I’m a greater afloat — ho, ho, 
ho,” and away he walked down the street to the Point. 

The passenger who had had the box seat, was stand- 
ing near all the time. “ He’ll find that there’s a greater 
man than he is on board, if he overstays his leave,” I 
heard bina remark with a laugh, as he entered the inn 


MARMADtJKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


17 


He was a slight, active young man, with a pleasant 
countenance. 

“ That’s our second lieutenant, Mr. Bryan,” said Ed- 
kins to me. “ I saw his name on his portmanteau. He 
must have thought the boatswain a rum ’un.” 

Captain Collyer’s tailor lived close at hand, so I went 
there at once, and he promised to have a suit ready for 
me by the following morning. 

Edkins told me I was to dine with the captain at the, 
George, and to sleep there. He proposed that we 
should walk about in the interval, and I employed part 
of the time in comforting Toby, persuading him to ac- 
company the cockswain on board the frigate without 
me. 

We had just got outside the Southsea-gate, when 
passing a fruit-stall, I saw a little boy, while the old 
woman who kept the stall was looking another way, sur- 
reptitiously abstract several apples and make off with 
them. She turned at the moment, and observed the 
deed. 

“ Come back, ye little thieving spalpeen,” she cried 
angrily, rising and making sail in chase. She was very 
stout, and filled out with petticoats on either side. The 
wind was very strong from the south-west, and, knowing 
that it is easier to sail with a fair wind than a foul, off 
darted the little boy before it over Southsea common. 
He, however, compared to the old lady, was like a brig 
to a seventy-four, with the studding-sails set alow and 
aloft, and she, with her wide-expanded figure propelled 
onward, was rapidly gaining on the apple-loving culprit. 
She would have caught him to a certainty. Toby and 


18 ^lAKMADtJKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

I and Edkiiis ran on to see the result. An old admiral 
(so P^dkins told me he was), taking his constitutional, 
stopped, highly enjoying the fun. He observed the 
cause of old Molly’s rapid progress. His sympathies 
were excited for the urchin. 

“ Try her on a wind, boy ; try her on a wind,” he 
shouted, giving way to his feelings in loud laughter. 

The boy took the hint, and coming about darted off 
to the westward. Molly attempted to follow, but her 
breath failed her ; the hitherto favoring gale blew her 
back, and with anathemas on the head of the culprit, 
she gave up the pursuit, and returned panting to her 
stall. 

“ There’s the price of your apples, Molly,” said the 
admiral, as he passed, handing her a sixpence. “ You 
have gained it for the fun you have afforded me.” 

That ’ere little chap will come to the gallows some 
day, if he goes on like that,” was the comment made by 
Toby. 

“ That’s true, boy,” observed Edkins. “ People are 
apt to forget, if they are amused, whether a thing is 
right or wrong ; white’s white, and black’s black, what- 
ever you choose to call them.” 

I felt very sure, from what I saw of Edkins, that he 
would take good care of Toby. He left me at the 
George. The captain came at last. He was a broad- 
shculdered, thick-set man, not very tall, but with fair 
hair and a most pleasant expression of countenance. 
Frank, honest, and kind-hearted I was certain he was 
He reminded me of my father, except that the squire 
had a fresh and he had a thoroughly salt-water look 


ilAIlilADUKE MERRf, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 19 

about him. We were joined at dinner by several offi- 
cers, and among others by my fellow-passenger, who 
proved, as Edkins suspected, to be Mr. Bryan, the 
second lieutenant of the Doris. He amused the com- 
pany very much by an account of Mr. Johnson’s con 
versation with me. 

“ He is a very extraordinary fellow, that,” said the 
captain. “ He is a first-rate seaman, and thoroughly 
trustworthy in all professional matters ; but I never 
met his equal for drawing the long bow. I knew him 
when I - was a lieutenant,, and could listen to his 
yarns.” 

The party laughed heartily at my account of the old 
apple-woman and the little boy, and I felt wonderfully 
at my ease among so many big-wigs, and began to fancy 
myself a personage of no small importance. After din- 
ner, however, Mr. Bryan called me aside. “ I must 
give you a piece of advice, youngster. I overheard 
your contest of wit with the boatswain, and I remarked 
the way you spoke to your superior officers at dinner. 
You are now in plain clothes, and the Captain’s guest, 
but do not presume on their present freedom. You 
will find the drawing-room and the quarter-deck very 
different places. Sharpness and wit are very well at 
times, but modesty is never out of place.” I thanked 
Mr. Bryan, and promised to remember his advice. 

The next day, with the. assistance of the tailor, I got 
into my uniform, and, after I had had a little time to 
admire myself, and to wish that my mother and sisters 
could see me, Edkins appeared to take me and my traps 
on board. The frigate had gone out to Spithead, where 


20 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

one of England’s proud fleets was collected. The gig 
was waiting at the point. I stepped into her with as 
much dignity as I could command and we pulled out of 
the harbor. When we got into the tide-way the boat 
began to bob about a good deal. I felt very queer. 
“ Edkins, is this what you call a storm ? ” I asked, wish- 
ing the boat would be quiet again. 

“ Yes, in a wash-tub, Mister Merry. As like a storm 
as a tom-tit is to an albatross,” he answered. 

My astonishment at finding myself among the line-of- 
battle ships at Spithead was very great. What huge 
floating castles they appeared — what crowds of human 
beings there were on board, swarming in every direc- 
tion, like ants round their nest. In a few moments a 
wonderful expansion of my ideas took place. Even our 
tight little frigate, as I had heard her called, looked an 
enormous monster w'hen we pulled alongside, and the 
shrill whistle and stentorian voice of the boatswain 
sounded in my ears as if the creature w'as warning us 
to keep off, and I thought, if it began to move, that we 
should, to a certainty, be crushed. However, I man- 
aged to climb up the side, and as I saw Edkins touch 
his hat to a tall thin gentleman in uniform, with a spy- 
glass under his arm, and say, “ Come aboard, sir ; ” I 
touched mine, and said, ‘‘ Come aboard, sir.” 

“ All right,” said Edkins, as he passed me. “ Thai 
is the first lieutenant.” 

He did not take much notice of me ; but soon after- 
wards Mr. Bryan appeared and shook hands with me, 
and told him that I was a new midshipman, a friend of 
the captain’s, and was very kind ; and after a little timfi 


ilAIOlADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPJ^rAN. 


21 


he Willed another midshipman, and desired him tc take 
me down to the berth^and to introduce me to our mess- 
mates. My conductor was a gaunt, red-haired lad, who 
had shoved his legs and arms too far into his trowsers 
and jacket. He did not seem well pleased with the 
duty imposed on him. I followed him down one flight 
of steps, when I savv huge cannon on either side, and 
then down another into almost total darkness ; and 
though he seemed to find his way very well, I had no 
little difficulty in seeing where he was going. He 
stopped once and said, “ What’s your name, young- 
ster ? ” I told him, and turning to the right he caught 
me by the collar and shoved me through a door among 
a number of young men and boys, exclaiming, in a 
croaking voice, 

“ Here’s Master Marmaduke Merry come to be one 
of us ; treat him kindly for his mother’s sake.” 

Having thus satisfactorily fulfilled his mission he dis- 
appeared. 

“ Sit down, boy, and make yourself at home,” said an 
oldish man with gray hair, from the other end of the 
table. 

“ Thank you, as soon as I can see where to sit,” said 
I ; “ but you don’t indulge in an over-abundance of 
light down here.” 

“ Ha, ha, ha ! Make room for Marmaduke, some of 
you youngsters there,” exclaimed the old mate, for such 
I found he was, and caterer of the mess. “ Remember 
your manners, will you, and be polite to strangers.” 

“ But he is not a stranger,” said a boy near me. 

" yps, he js, till he has broken biscuit with us,” said 


22 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

old Perigal. That reminds me that you are perhaps 
Iiungry, youngster. We’ve done tea, but we shall have 
(he grog and the bread on the table shortly. We divide 
them equally. You youngsters have as much to eat as 
you like of the one, weevils and all, and we to drink of 
the other. It’s the rule of the mess, like the laws of 
the Medes and Persians, not to be broken. However, 
we will allow Merry a small quantity to-night, as it is 
his first on board ship, but after that, remember, no 
infraction of the laws ; ” and old Perigal held up a 
weapon which he drew from his pocket, and with which, 
I found, he was wont to enforce his commands in the 
berth. 

His system worked pretty well, and it kept the 
youngsters from falling into that most pernicious of 
practices, spirit drinking, and the oldsters were too well 
seasoned to be injured by the double allowance they 
thereby obtained. 

Altogether I was well pleased with my reception, and 
I fancy my new shipmates were pleased with me. My 
great difficulty at first was finding my way about, for as 
to which was the head or after part of the ship I had 
not the slightest notion, and the direction I received to 
go aft or go forward conveyed no idea to my mind. 

As I was groping my way about the lower deck, I 
saw what I took to be a glimmering light in a recess, 
when a roaring voice said, Ho, ho ! Mr. Merry, what 
— have you come to see me? Welcome aboard the 
Doris.” The light was the nose, and the voice that of 
Jonathan Johnson the boatswain. 

T thanked him, and, guessing it would please him, told 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 23 

him that T should hold him to his piomise of recounting 
his adventures. 

“ Time enough when we get into blue water, Mr. 
Merry. Under present circumstances, with every thing 
to do, and nobody fit to do it but myself ; for you see, 
Mr. Merry, the gunner and carpenter are little better 
than nonentities, as you will find out some day ; I have 
barely time to eat my necessary meals, much less to 
talk.” 

I told him that I should anxiously look forward to a 
fitting time for the expected treat, and asked him where 
I could find Toby Bluff. 

“ You shall see him in a jiffy,” he answered ; and he 
bellowed out, “Boy Bluff! Boy Bluff! send aft boy 
Bluff! ” 

The same words were repeated in various hoarse 
tones, and in less than a minute Toby came running up. 
He had had the advantage of a day's experience on 
board, and had wonderfully soon got into the ways of 
the ship. 

When he saw me he shouted with joy. 

“ I did think, Measter Marmaduke, you never would 
a coome,” he exclaimed. “ But it’s all right now, and 
my — what a strange place this bees. Not a bit loike 
the hall, though there’s plenty o’ beef here for dinner, 
but it’s main tough, and the bread for all the world’s 
like old tiles.” 

“ Be thankful you haven’t to live on grind-stones and 
marlin-spikes, as I once had for a whole month, with 
nothing but bilge-water to wash ’em down,” growled out ^ 
the boatswain, ^ho heard the observation. 


MAllMADUKE MEERY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 




As he had told me that he had not time to talk, I did 
not ask him how this had happened. 

I might prolong indefinitely my account of my first 
days on board ship. I gradually found myself more and 
more at home, till I began to fancy that I must be of some 
use on board. No one could be kinder than was Cap- 
tain Colly er, and he was constantly employing me in a 
variety of ways in which he thought I could be trusted. 
One day he sent for me, and giving me a letter, ordered 
me to take it on board the flag-ship, and to deliver it in 
person to Captain Bumpus, the flag-captain. I knew 
Captain Bumpus, because he had been one of our dinner 
party at the George, and I remembered that he had 
laughed complacently at my stories. He was, however, 
very pompous, not a little conceited, and a great dandy, 
and I cannot say that I had felt any great respect for 
him. 

We had discussed him in the berth, and the opinion 
was that he was sweet on one of the admiral’s daughters. 
At all events he was a bachelor, and having lately made 
some prize money, he was supposed to be looking out 
for a wife to help him spend it. Moreover it was 
whispered that he wore a wig, but this he strenuously 
denied. Being very fond of talking of the necessity he 
was under of having to go and get his hair cut, till it 
became a common remark that though Captain Bumpus 
got his hair cut oflener than any one else, it never 
appeared shorter. 

I stepped into the second gig, and as Edkins went 
with me to steer the boat, I had no difiiculty in getting 
alongside the flag-ship. As we pulled under the stern, 


MAIIMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 26 

I saw several ladies looking out from a stern gallery, 
which Edkins told me belonged to the admiral’s cabin. 
I found my way on deck, and touching my hat to the 
mate of the deck, announced my errand. 

“ Come, I’ll show you,” he said, seeing that I hesi- 
tated which way to turn, and he led me up first to one 
deck and then to another, and then he pointed to a door 
at which a sentry was standing, and told me to go in 
there. I found four or five officers in the after cabin 
waiting to see Captain Bumpus, who was dressing,. I 
collected from their conversation. 

Presently a frizzled out Frenchman, the very cut of 
a stage barber (a refugee, I heard afterwards), entered 
the cabin with a freshly-dressed wig on a block. 

Monsieur de Captain tell me to bring his vig and 
put it in his cabin. I do so vid your permission, gentle- 
men,” he observed, as he placed it on the table, and 
with a profound bow took his departure. 

The story went that Captain Bumpus, who was fond 
of good living, had only lately fallen in with poor Pierre 
Grenouille, and had concluded a bargain on which he 
prided himself exceedingly. Ostensibly Pierre was 
engaged to dress his dinners, but privately to dress his 
hair, or rather his wigs. 

There was a general titter among the officers, in which 
I heartily joined. 

Suddenly, before we had time to compose our features, 
a door on one side opened, and Captain Bumpus ap- 
peared in full fig, with his sword under his arm, and his 
cocked hat in hand, looking self-satisfied in the extreme. 

3 


26 maumadukE merry, the midshipman. 

He started when he saw the wig-block and wig, the fac- 
simile of the one he wore on his head. 

“ What’s that ? ” he exclaimed, in a voice hoarse with 
rage. “ Who put it there ? ” 

No one answered, and dashing down his hat, he seized 
the wig-block and wig, and with an exclamation of anger 
threw them overboard. 

“ Now gentlemen,” he said, turning round and at- 
tempting to be calm, “ what is it you have to say ? 
Keally this incident may seem ridiculous,” he added, 
seeing that there was still a suppressed titter going on, 
“ but I detest the sight of a wig-block since — you know 
that Highland tragedy — ” 

“ A man overboard ! a man overboard ! ” was heard 
resounding in gruff voices from above. 

‘‘Oh, poor man, he will be drowned, he will be 
drowned,” came in a sharper treble from the admiral’s 
cabin. 

I heard the shrill pipe of the boatswain’s mate as 
boats were being lowered, and at that instant into the 
cabin rushed the French barber, wringing his hands in 
a frantic state, and exclaiming, “ Oh Captain, your 
beautiful vig, your beautiful vig, it vill all be spoilt, it 
vill all be spoilt.” 

“My wig!” shouted Captain Bumpus, in a voice of 
thunder. “ My wig, you anatomy, you mendacious in- 
ventor of outrageous impossibilities. Begone out of the 
cabin, out of the ship, overboard with you, the instant 
dinner is served ! ” And he gave the unhappy barber a 
kick which sent him flying across the after-cabin, through 


a^AU-MADUKL: MEKllY, THE MIDSIIIEMAN. 27 

the door of the outer one, against the sentry, who was 
knocked over, and soldier and barber lay floundering 
and kicking, and bawling and swearing, in their native 
dialects, amid the laughter of the officers, who ran to 
see what had become of the little man, and the shouts 
of the men who were outside. 

Meantime the tide was running strong, and the wig- 
block drifted past the other ships of the fleet, from all 
of which boats instantly put off in chase. They were 
all assembled round the fatal block, and the bowman of 
one, more fortunate than the rest, had got hold of it, and 
held it up amid shouts of laughter, when a boat from 
the flag-ship arrived and claimed the prize. 

As the boat returned and pulled up astern, the admi- 
ral shouted out, “ Have you got the poor fellow ? ” 

“ It was’nt a man, sir ! it was only the captain’s wig, 
sir,” was the answer. 

“ The captain’s what ? ” cried the admiral. 

“ Captain Bumpus’s wig, sir,” shouted the bowman, 
as he held it up for inspection. 

“ Come aboard with it, then,” answered the admiral, 
roaring with laughter, for he richly enjoyed a joke. 

I heard a meri-y giggle in the stern gallery. Captain 
Bumpus turned pale with rage and mortified vanity. 1 
delivered my despatch, to which he said he would send 
an answer. The next day it was reported that he had 
resigned his commission and gone on shore. He could 
not bear the idea that the whole fleet should have dis^ 
covered he wore a wig. 


^8 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE 3IID SHIP MAN. 


CHAPTER II. 

Blue Peter had been for some hours flying aloft, 
when Jonathan Johnson’s pipe, sounding along the 
decks with a shrillness which surpassed the keenest of 
north-easterly gales, gave the expected order, which his 
mates, in gruffest of gruff tones, bawled out, of “ All 
hands up anchor ! an instant the whole ship was 

in an uproar, and seemed to me to be in the most dire 
confusion. Boatswain’s mates were shouting and bawl- 
ing, the officers hurrying to their stations, the men fly- 
ing here and there, some aloft to loose sails, and others to 
halyards, sheets, and braces. I must own that I did not 
feel myself of any great service in assisting at the opera- 
tion going forward, but I ran and shouted with the rest, 
and as the men passed me I told them to look sharp, 
and to be smart, and to hurry along; but what they 
■were about to do, I was utterly unable to discover. I 
met Toby Bluff hurrying along, looking very much 
scared and half inclined to blubber. I asked him what 
was the matter. 

“ It’s the big man with the rattan (he alluded to the 
ship’s corporal), told me to go aft to the poop, and stand 
by the mizen-topsail halyards,” he exclaimed. “ But, 
0 Master Marmaduke, where they be it’s more than 
my seven senses can tell. What shall 1 do ? what shall 
T do?” 

I saw some other boys running aft, so I advised him 


MAUMADUICE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


29 


to go where they went, and to do whatever they did. 1 
Boon afterwards saw him hauling away sturdily at a 
rope, and though he tumbled down very often, he was 
quickly again on his feet The life and fiddle were 
mean time sounding merrily, and, as with cheerful 
tramp the men pressed round the capstan bars, the an- 
chor was speedily run up to the bows. What the lieu- 
tenant on the forecastle could mean when he shouted out, 
“ Man the cat-fall,” I could not divine, till I saw that 
some of the crew were securing the stock of the anchor by 
means of a tackle to a stout beam, which projected over 
the bows of the ship. “ Over to the fish,” next shouted 
out the ofiicer, an order at first equally inexplicable to 
me, till I saw the flukes of the anchor hauled up close to 
the bows, — fished, as it is called. 

The sails were let fall and sheeted home, braces 
hauled taut, and the Doris, with a rattling breeze, under 
all sail, stood through the Needle Passage and down 
Channel. Those were stirring times. The cruisers of 
the various nations then at war with Old England, 
swarmed in all directions ; and it was the ardent wish 
of every one on board the frigate, from the captain 
down to my small self, and to the youngest powder-mon- 
key, that we should before long meet an enemy worthy 
of our prowess. A sharp look-out was kept aloft night 
and day, and it would have been difiicult for any thing 
under sail, passing within the circle seen from our main- 
truck to have escaped notice. Captain Collyer also did 
his best to prepare his crew for an encounter whenever 
it might come, and the men were kept constantly exer- 
cising at the great guns and small arms, and, for a 
3 * 


80 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

change, at shortening and making sail, till they had all 
learned to work well together. I was all this time rap^ 
idly picking up a fair amount of miscellaneous nautical 
knowledge, partly by observation, but chiefly from my 
messmates, and from Sam Edkins, the captain’s cock- 
swain, who had, as he said, taking a liking to me. 

Mr. Johnson, the boatswain, at times condescended to 
give me instruction. “ At present, Mr. Merry, you’ll 
observe, and I say it with perfect respect,” remarked my 
friend, " you’re like a sucking babe, an unfledged spar- 
row, a squid on dry ground — you’re of ’lo use to no- 
body, and rather want somebody to look after you, and 
keep you out of harm. When you’ve been to sea as 
many years as I have, if you keep your eyes open, you’ll 
begin to find out what’s what.” 

I confess that these observations of the boatswain were 
calculated to make me feel rather small. However, I 
was not offended, and I often managed to pay Mr. Jona- 
than back in bis own coin, which made him like me all 
the more. A great contrast to him in character was 
the captain’s steward, Billy Wise. Billy had been to 
sea all his life, but no training could make a sailor of 
him. He was devoted to the captain, whom he had fol- 
lowed from ship to ship, and who took him, I truly be- 
lieve, from pure compassion, because no one else would 
have had him. He was, however, a faithful fellow, and 
I am certain would have done any thing to serve his 
captain. 

Captain Collyer used to have some of the youngsters 
into his cabin to learn navigation. I liked this very 
much, and studied hard ; for, as I had come to sea to be 


MAIIMAOTJKE MERRY, THE JHDSHIPMAN. 31 

a sailor, T wished to be a good one. Several of us were 
seated round the table one day, when the steward made 
his appearance. 

“ How is the wind. Wise ? ” asked the captain. 

“ Some says it’s east, and some says it’s west. Captain 
Collyer,” was the satisfactory answer. 

“And which way do you say it is?” inquired his 
master. 

“ Whichever way you please, sir,” replied the steward, 
pulling a lock of his hair. 

Even the presence of our captain could scarcely pre* 
vent us youngsters from bursting into a roar of laughter. 
This was surpassed, however, by an Irish midshipman, 
an old shipmate of mine, who, when undergoing his 
examination for navigation, and was asked, whether the 
sun went round the earth, or the earth round the sun, 
looked up with perfect confidence, and unhesitatingly 
replied, — 

“ Faith, gentlemen, it’s sometimes one and sometimes 
the other.” 

He was very much surprised at being turned back. 
He, however, afterwards managed to pass, but whether 
it was because the examining officers were not quite 
confident as to the exact state of the case themselves, 
and therefore did not push the question, or that he had 
in the mean time gained the required information, I do 
not now remember. 

Captain Collyer was accustomed to Billy’s eccentric- 
ities. They were sometimes inconvenient. One day, 
we fell in with a line-of-battle ship, and our captain had 
to go on board to pay his respects to his superior officer 


32 MAU3IADUKE MEltllY, THE MIHSHIIAMAX. . 

As he was hurriedly leaving his cabin he called for his 
cocked hat. 

“ Your hat, Captain Collyer — your hat, sir,” ejacu- 
lated Billy Wise, in a state of great trepidation, — “it’s 
all safe, sir. It druve ashore at Hurst, as we was com- 
ing through the Needle Passage, and some of the 
sodgers at the castle picked it up.” 

Poor Billy had been brushing the hat at a port with 
too great vehemence, and sent it flying overboard. He 
might possibly have seen something dark floating toward 
Hurst, and his shipmates, who were always practising 
on his credulity, probably persuaded him that it was the 
captain’s hat. Many captains, in those days, would 
have given him a couple of dozen, or put him on nine- 
water grog for a month. Captain Collyer very soon 
forgot all about the matter, except when he told the 
story as a good joke. On the present occasion he had 
to borrow a cocked hat ; and it was not till we had been 
in action, and one of the officers was killed, that he 
could get fitted with one of his own. 

The captain had a goat, which was a source of much 
amusement to us youngsters, and of annoyance to Mr. 
Lukyn, the first lieutenant ; for, as if aware that she 
did belong to the captain, she made no scruple of invad- 
ing the quarter-deck, and soiling its purity. One day, 
my first acquaintance on board — the tall, gaunt mid- 
shipman with red hair, who, by the by, went by the 
name of Miss Susan — with two or three other young- 
sters and I, were standing on our side of the deck, when 
Nancy, the goat, released from her pen, came prancing 
up to us. We, as usual, made grabs at her horns and 


MARMADUKE MERRI, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 33 

tail, and somewhat excited her temper. Now, she 
began to butt at us, and made us fly, right and left. 
Miss Susan was capsized, and sent sprawling on the 
deck ; and Nancy, highly delighted at her victory, 
frisked off over to the starboard side, where Mr. Lukyc, 
Avith all the dignity of a first lieutenant, was walking the 
deck with his glass under his arms. Nancy, either mis- 
taking his long legs for the stems of the trees and shrubs 
of her native hills, or wishing to repeat the experiment 
which had succeeded so well with regard to Miss Suvsan, 
made a furious butt at his calves while he was walking 
aft, unconscious of her approach. The effect must have 
been beyond Nancy’s utmost expectations, as it was 
beyond ours. Our gallant first never appeared very 
firm on his pins, and, the blow doubling his knees, down 
he came, stern first, on the deck Avith his heels in the 
air, while the goat, highly delighted at her performance, 
and totally unconscious of her gross infraction of naval 
discipline, frolicked off forward in search of fresh adven- 
tures. 

Just at that moment up came Billy Wise with a mes- 
sage from the captain. 

Now Mr. Lukyn rarely gave way to anger, but this 
was an occasion to try his temper. Picking himself up 
from his undignified posture, “ Hang the goat,” he ex- 
claimed in a loud tone ; “ Avho let the creature loose ? ” 

Billy did not know, but having delivered his message, 
aAvay he went forward ; Avhile we endeavored to con- 
ceal, as far as we could, the fits of laughter in which Ave 
were indulging. Miss Susan’s real name was Jacol 
Spellman. 


S4 MAKMAUUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

Some short time after this, I was going along the 
main-deck with him, when we found the captain’s stew'- 
ard very busy splicing an eye in a rope, close to the 
cattle-pen, where Nancy had her abode. We walked 
on a little way, and then turned round to watch him. 
Having formed a running noose, he put it round the 
goat’s neck, and dragged her out of the pen. He then 
got a tub and made her stand upon it while he passed 
the rope over a hook in the beam above. Hauling 
away as hard as he could, he gave the tub a kick, and 
there hung poor Nancy, in a most uncomfortable position, 
very nearly wuth her neck dislocated ; but as he had not 
calculated on her power of standing on her hind legs, the 
result he expected was unaccomplished, and she was not 
altogether deprived of life. She struggled, however, so 
violently, that she would very soon have been strangled 
had not old Perigal, who was mate of the main-deck, 
come up and seen what was going forward. 

“ Wh}’^, man, what are you about ? ” he exclaimed. 

“ Please, sir, I be hanging the goat,” was Billy’s re- 
ply. 

“ Hanging the goat ! who told you to do that ? ” in- 
quired Perigal. 

“It was the first lieutenant, sir. She knocked him 
over right flat on the deck, and so he told me to go and 
hang her.” 

“ Well, you are a precious ,” exclaimed the old 

mate. “ Let free the beast, and thank your stars that 
you didn’t hang her. The captain is a wonderfully 
good-natured man, there can be no doubt of it ; but even 
he wouldn’t have stood having his goat hung.” 


MAUMADUlvE :\[KRIiY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


35 . 


Of o)urse, I do not dress the language of my ship« 
mates T/ith the expletives in which many of them were 
apt to indulge, when the use of strange oaths and swear- 
ing of all descriptions was more common than even at 
[)resent, when the practice would be more honored in 
the breach than in the observance. One thing I must 
say, I never heard our gallant captain utter an oath or 
abuse a man, during the whole time I had the happiness 
of serving under him, and a braver, more spirited, or 
more sensible man never trod the deck of a man-of-war 
as her chief. His memory is dear, not only to all those 
who served with him, but to all of high or low degree 
who knew him during his long and glorious naval ca- 
reer. His manners were mild and gentle, — though he 
had an abundance of humor and spirit. He could, how- 
(jver, when he thought it necessary, speak with the 
gravest severity to a delinquent. I never saw any man 
more cool, and calm, and thoughtful in action. It may 
truly be said of him that in battle he was as brave as a 
lion, and in peace as gentle as a lamb. I could not 
resist uttering this panegyric on our well-loved cap- 
tain. 

To return to Billy Wise and the goat. The poor ani- 
mal’s life was saved, though she had a strange way of 
stretching out her neck for some weeks afterwards, and 
always gave Billy a wide berth when she encountered 
him in her rambles about the decks. 

When the captain heard the account, instead of being 
angry, he laughed heartily, and added the story to his 
batch of anecdotes. 

“I must do something with that poor fellow,” be re- 


86 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

marked. “ He is not fit to be made Lord Chief Justice, 
r fear.” 

It was not always plain sailing wdtli me. Spellman 
and I were pretty good friends, but he was somewhat 
inclined to play the bully. He was called Miss Susan 
simply because he was as unlike a girl as a great awk- 
ward gawky fellow, with red hair and a freckled face 
could well be. . 

One day, as I was going along the lower-deck, with a 
message to old Perigal, who was attending to some duty 
forward, I came suddenly on Toby Bluff, whose ear 
Spellman had seized, while Muth his heel, he was bestow- 
ing sundry hard blows on the corpus of my sturdy fol- 
lower, who already knew enough of naval discipline to 
venture on retaliation. Toby, though short, was as 
strong as a lion, and could have hurled him to the deck 
if he had dared. This made Miss Susan’s attack all the 
more cowardly. What Toby had done to give offence 
I did not stop to inquire. My anger was up in a mo- 
ment. 

“ Let go the boy, Spellman ; ” I exclaimed, you shall 
not strike him again.” 

Toby gained little by this, for Miss Susan only kicked 
him the harder ; whereon, up I rushed, and hit my tall 
messmate a blow between the eyes, which made light- 
ning flash from them, I suspect. Spellman instantly let 
go Toby and sprang at me. I stood prepared for the 
onslaught. Blinded by my first blow, my antagonist hit 
out at random, and though double my weight, was far 
from getting tlie best of it. While’ we were thus pleas- 
antly occupied, Mr. Lukyn, with the sergeant-at-arms. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 37 

W3is going his rounds. We were so earnestly engaged 
in endeavoring to the utmost of our power to hurt each 
other, that we did not perceive their approach. Toby 
knew too well the laws of British pugilism to interfere, 
though had my opponent been an enemy of a different 
nation, and had we been engaged in mortal combat, T 
have no doubt that I should have found my young fol- 
lower an able supporter. An exclamation from Toby 
threw Spellman off his guard, when a full blow, which 
I planted on his breast, sent him reeling back into tlie 
no very tender clutches of old Krause, the master-at- 
arms. 

“ What is this about, young gentlemen ? ” exclaimed 
Mr. Lukyn, in a severe tone. “ Fighting is against the 
articles of war.’! 

“ He hit me, sir ; ” “ He kicked the boy Bluff,” we 
both exclaimed in the same breath. 

“I must have you both up before the captain, and 
ascertain who is the culprit,” said Mr. Lukyn. “Mas- 
ter-at-arms, take these young gentlemen into custody.” 

I, on this, represented that I had been sent on a mes- 
sage to Mr. Perigal, and was allowed to go and deliver 
it. While I was absent, Spellman took care to put his 
case in the best light, and mine in the worst. In about 
an hour we were both taken before the captain, and Toby 
was summoned as a witness. For fear of committing me, 
he was only puzzled what to say. 

“ Speak the truth, and nothing but it,” said I, boldly. 

The captain cast a look of approbation on me. 

Toby frankly confessed tha^ not seeing Mr. Spellman, 
4 


58 MARMADUKK MKURY, THK JUDSIIIPMAlSl 

he bad run against him, when he had been seized bj the 
ear, and that I, coming up, had taken his part. 

Toby was dismissed. 

“ Now, young gentlemen, you are both in the wkong,” 
said the captain. “ You, Mr. Spellman, should not have 
struck the boy for liis heedlessness ; and you, Mr. Merry, 
should not have taken the law into your own hands. 
You will both of you go to the mast-head, and rrmain 
there till Mr. Lukyn calls you down ; Mr. Merry the 
'foremast, Mr. Spellman to the mainmast.” 

W e thought that we had got off very easily ; a; d we 
should, had not the first lieutenant gone below an \ for- 
gotten all about us. Hour after hour passed b; , we 
had had no dinner ; I was almost starved, and 'jould 
scarcely have held on longer, when my eye fell on a 
sail to the southward. We were in the chops » f the 
channel, with the wind from the northward. ‘‘ Sail 0 ! ’ 
I shouted out in a shrill tone. Fortunately Mr. 1 ukyn 
was on deck, and when I had told him the directi >n in 
which I had seen the stranger, he called me do\/n, it 
having probably occurred to him that I had been mast- 
headed rather longer than he intended. 

When I got on deck I went up to him, and, touching 
my hat, said, “ Please, sir, Spellman is still at the mast- 
head.” 

“ Oh, is he ? ah ! ” he answered, taking a turn. 

I guessed from this that he did not think I was mucli 
to blame. Still I was anxious to get poor Miss Susan 
out of his unpleasant predicament, for I knew he was 
almost dead with hunger. I had resolved to go up, to 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 39 

Mr. Lukyn to tell him so, when he hailed my late an- 
tagonist, and ordered him on deck. 

“ You have to thank Mr. Merry that you are not up 
there still,” observed the first lieutenant, walking away. 

Meantime the helm had been put up, and sail made 
ill chase of the stranger. All hands earnestly hoped 
that she might prove an enemy. A sharp look-out was 
kept on her. One thing soon became evident — that 
we must have been seen, and that she was not inclined 
to fly. 

“ Now, Mr. Merry, we’ll show you what fighting is,” 
observed Mr. Johnson^ the boatswain, as I stood near 
him on the forecastle. “ You’ll soon^ee round-shot, and 
langrage, and bullets rattling about us, thick as hail ; 
and heads, and arms, and legs flying off like shuttle- 
cocks. A man’s head is off his shoulders before he 
knows where he is. You’ll not believe it, Mr. Merry, 
perhaps ; but it’s a fact. I once belonged to a frigate, 
when we fell in with two of the enemy’s line-of-battle 
ships, and brought them to action. One, for a short 
time, was on our starboard beam, and the other right 
aft ; and we were exposed to a terrible cross and raking 
fire; it’s only a wonder one of us remained alive, or 
that the ship did’nt go down. It happened that two 
men were standing near me, looking the same way — 
athwart ships, you’ll understand. The name of one was 
Bill Cox — the other, Tom Jay. Well, a round-shot 
came from our enemy astern, and took off the head of 
Bill Cox, who was on the larboard side ; while at that 
identical moment a chain-shot from the ship abeam cut 
off Tom Jay’s head, who was nearest the starboard side, 


40 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

SO cleanly — he happened to have a long neck — that it 
was jerked on to the body of Bill Cox, who, very natu- 
rally, putting up his hands to feel what had become of 
his own head, kept it there so tightly that it stuck — 
positively stuck ; and, the surgeon afterwards plastering 
it thickly round, it grew as firmly as if it had always 
belonged to the body. The curious thing was, that the 
man did not afterwards know what to call himself; 
when he intended to do one thing he was constantly 
doing another. There was Bill Cox’s body, d’ye see, 
and Tom Jay’s head. Bill Cox was rather the shorter 
of the two, and had had a very ugly mug of his own ; 
while Tom Jay was^ good-looking chap. Consequently 
Bill used sometimes to blush when he heard his good 
looks spoken of, and sometimes to get angry, thinking 
people were making fun of him. At first, Bill never 
knew who was hailed, and used to sing out, ‘ Which of 
us do you want ? ’ However, it was agreed that he was 
and should be Bill Cox ; because the head belonged to 
the body by right of capture ; for if Bill’s arms hadn’t 
sprung up and caught it, the head would have gone 
overboard, and been no use to nobody. So the matter 
was settled, as far as the public was concerned. D was 
put against Tom Jay’s name, and his disconsolate widow 
was written to, and told she might marry some one else 
as soon as she liked. But Bill wasn’t at all comfortable 
about himself. He was fond of fat bacon, which Tom 
Jay could never abide ; and when Bill put it into his 
new mouth, why, you see, the mouth that was Tom’s 
spit it out again, and wouldn’t let it, by no manner of 
means, go down his throat. Then Tom was fond of a 


MARMADUKE IMERUY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 41 


chaw, and seldom had had a quid out of his cheeks 
Bill, for some reason, didn’t like backy, and though his 
mouth kept asking for it, nothing would ever tempt his 
hands to put a quid inside. ‘ I’m very miserable, that 
I be,’ groaned poor Bill ; ‘ I sometimes almost wishes J 
hadn’t caught Tom’s head — that I do.’^ 

“You see, Mr. Merry, people seldom know when 
they are well off, and that I used to tell him. More 
came of it wlien Bill got back home. When poor Tom 
Jay’s widow caught sight of him there was a terrible to 
do, seeing she was already married to another man ; but 
I’ll tell you all about that by and by. There’s the cap- 
tain about to speak.” 

The captain’s speech was very brief : “ Clear ship for 
action,” he exclaimed, as he placed himself on one of 
the after guns ; “ and now, lads, let me see what you 
are made of.” 

I had been about to ask the boatswain how he got 
clear of the two line-of-battle ships, when this interrup 
tion occurred. Toby Bluff had been standing at a 
respectful distance, taking it all in with open mouth and 
astonishment. Each man went to his station — bulk 
heads were knocked away — the fires put out — the 
magazine opened — powder and shot were carried on 
deck — the guns were cast loose, and every preparation 
was made in a wonderfully short space of time. As T 
passed along the main-deck, I found Toby Bluff sitting 
on his tub, the picture of a regular powder-monkey — 
fat, sturdy, and unconcerned. He had become on very 
familiar terms with the other boys, and had fought his 
way into a satisfactory state of equality. He and those 

4 * 


42 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


near him were firing off* jokes at each other at a rapid 
rate, the others trying to frighten him, and he in no 
way inclined to take alarm. 

“ Never you mind,” he answered to a remark made 
by one of his companions ; “ if some chaps have their 
lieads blown off, others gets new ones clapped on again ! 
Ila, ha, ha ! That’s more than some of you ever see’d 
done.” 

I was glad to see that Toby was in such good heart, 
and would not disgrace our county. When I reached 
the upper deck, I found our bunting going up and 
down. We were signalizing with the stranger, which, 
after all, turned out to be no enemy, but his Majesty’s 
thirty-six gun frigate Uranius. There was a general 
groan of disappointment when the order was given to 
secure the guns and close the magazine. I believe 
that, at that moment, most of the people, so worked up 
were they for fighting, would rather have had a turn to 
with their friend than have been baulked altogether. 
We found, however, that we should soon have a good 
opportunity of gratifying our pugnacious propensities. 
Admiral Cornwallis was at that time the commander-in- 
chief of the Channel fleet. He had directed Captain 
Collyer to look out for the Uranius and another frigate, 
the Emerald, and to proceed otf Point St. Matthieu. to 
watch the French and Spanish fleets then lying in Brest 
harbor. After cruising for a couple of days, we fell in 
with the other frigate, and thus altogether proceeded to 
our destination. We soon reached it. On standing in 
toward the land, we very clearly made out the enemy’s 
fleet at anchor in Brest harbor; but few, if any, of th<» 


MAIiMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIl i».AJf. 43 


ships had their sails bent, and even if they had come 
out after us we could very easily have escaped. 

“ All hands shorten sail, and bring ship to an anchor,” 
was the order given, and all three frigates brought up 
just as coolly as if we had been at Spithead. 

“ I wonder what they think of us ? ” I observed to the 
boatswain, as one day I was examining the enemy 
through my glass. 

“ Think of us ! ” he exclaimed. “ That we are as im- 
pudent as sparrows, and that they would willingly wring 
our necks and eat us if they could. But it is nothing to 
what I have seen done in the way of daring. I once 
belonged to a frigate, commanded by Captain Longbow, 
and, as he would tell you, if you were to ask him, we 
one night sailed right into the middle of a Spanish fleet 
— ran alongside one of their ships, boarded and carried 
her, and took her out free without the Spanish admii-al 
discovering what we had been about. There’s no end 
to the wonderful things I have seen done, or, I may 
say, without conceit, have done, Mr. Merry. But I 
rather suspect that we shall have to lose sight of the 
Dons and Monsieurs for a few days. There’s bad 
weather coming on, and we shall have to stand out to 
sea ; but, never mind, they’ll not make their escape witli 
a gale in their teeth.” 

Mr. Johnson prognosticated rightly. Before many 
hours it was blowing great guns and small arms, and 
the three frigates were endeavoring, under all the sail 
they could carry, to obtain a good ofling from the land. 
We tumbled about and pitched into the seas in a way 
which prevented me from, as usual, pitching into my 


44 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

dinner. One thing was satisfactory ; the gale blockaded 
the enemy as effectually as we could have done. They 
were not inclined to come out and face either our guns 
or the fury of the wind. I cannot say, however, that 
just at that time any thing brought much consolation to 
me. I had only one very strong wish ; it was, to be 
thrown overboard, — not that I had the slightest inten- 
tion of jumping into the sea of my own accord. I was 
too far gone for any such energetic proceeding ; and had 
anybody else taken me up for the purpose, I have no 
doubt that I should have struggled and kicked myself 
into perfect health again. I had coiled myself away on 
the top of my chest, on the lower deck, in a dark recess, 
where I thought no one would see me ; and there 1 
hoped to remain all alone in my misery, till the ship 
went down, or blew up, or something else dreadful hap- 
pened, for as to my ever getting well again, that I felt 
was physically impossible. I had lain thus for some 
time, believing myself to be the most miserable small 
piece of humanity in existence, when, the frigate ap- 
pearing to be pitching and rolling more furiously than 
ever, I heard a gruff voice exclaim, — 

“ What, youngster ! are you going to let the ship go 
down, and you not try to save her ? On deck with you ; 
be smart, now.” 

I felt a colt applied to a part of my body which, in the 
position I lay, offered a tempting mark. The voice was 
that of old Perigal ; his sharp eyes had found me out. 
I sprang up, and rushed on deck with an involuntary yell 
of pain, to find the ship under her three topsails closely 
reefed, forcing her way bravely through the seas, and 


MAKMADUKK MEliRT, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 45 

not at all inclined to go down, or to come to any other 
damage. 

“ You’re all the better for that trip, youngster,” said 
the old mate, with a grin, as I returned to the berth. 

“ Now, just take a lump of this fat bacon and a bit of 
biscuit, — and here, as a treat, you shall have a nip of 
old Jamaica, and you’ll be all to rights in ten minutes, 
and never be sea-sick again as long as you live.” 

I remonstrated, but out came the colt, and with an ar- 
gument so cogent, I was fain to adopt my messmate’s 
remedy. It was a terrible trial. At first, I could 
scarcely bring my teeth to meet ; but Perigal flourished 
his weapon, and my jaws went faster and faster, till I 
was not sorry to finish the whole of the biscuit and ba-- 
con placed before me, and could have taken twice, as 
much if I could have got it. Perigal w’^as right. From 
that day to this, I have never suffered from sea-sick- 
ness. . 

Toby Bluff* had undergone a similar ordeal, and when 
I was well enough to go and look for him, I found him 
scraping away at a beef bone, from which he had just 
removed the last particle of meat. 

The summer gale was soon over, and once more we 
stood in for the land to look after the Frenchmen. As 
we drew in, I saw the captain and officers eagerly scan- 
ning the coast with their glasses, and it was soon known 
that a ship had been discovered at anchor by herself in 
a bay almost abreast of where we then were. She was 
protected, how'ever, by the guns of some strongish bat- 
teries. 

‘‘We must have her out, though,” observed Captain 


4:3 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


Colljer; and forthwith the proposal was made to oui 
consorts by signal. 

Neither of the captains were the sort of men to decline 
engaging in the undertaking. Off we went, under every 
stitch of canvas we could carry, to look for the admiral, 
who, with a fleet sufficient to render a good account of 
the enemy, should they venture out of liarbor, was cruis- 
ing in the neighborhood. 

Admiral Cornwallis highly approved of the proposal. 
“ Go and do it,” was his laconic reply. He was more 
addicted to acts than words. He sent a lieutenant, in 
whom he placed great confidence, to take command, and 
a boat and boat’s crew from the flag-ship to lead. This 
was not quite as complimentary a proceeding as the 
three captains would have liked ; but they were all too 
zealous and too anxious to get the work done to stand 
on ceremon3^ Away back we sailed, till we once more 
made out the entrance to the bay, which was called 
Cameret Bay. 

The craft we were about to attack, and hoped to cap- 
ture, was the Chevrette, a ship corvette, mounting 
twenty guns, — a powerful vessel, and not likely to be 
taken without a severe struggle. Notice was given that 
volunteers would be required for the service, and im- 
mediately, the greater part of the officers and crews of 
the three frigates came forward. Among those who 
volunteered from the Doris, was Mr. Bryan, the second 
lieutenant; Mr. Johnson, the boatswain; and Edkins, 
the captain’s cockswain. All were allowed to go. The 
captain had great confidence in Mr. Bryan ; and I sus- 
pect that he had a fancy to ascertain what Mr. Johnson 
really was made of. 


MAUMADUKE MERRY, THE :\I 1 1) Sill I’M AN. 


47 


We brought up at our usual anchorage, and the re- 
mainder of the day was occupied in making preparations 
for the expedition. I saw Mr. Johnson very busily em- 
ployed in his cabin in cleaning his pistols. 

“ Come in, Mr. Merry,” he said, as he caught sight 
of me. “ These are old friends of mine ; they have 
served me many a good turn before now. If it was 
not for these pistols, I should not have been in the 
land of the living ; some day I’ll tell you how it hap- 
pened. Well, we are likely to have some desperate 
work to-night, and no one can tell whose lot it will be to 
fall. That reminds me, Mr. Merry, I have written a 
letter to my wife, and I will intrust it to you. That is 
more than I would do to any other midshipman in the 
ship. She is a charming person — every inch a lady, 
and a lady of rank too. One thing I must charge you, 
— do not speak of me as a boatswain. She has no idea 
that I hold so subordinate a rank. She believes that I 
am an officer, and so I am ; only I am a warrant, and 
not a commissioned officer. Just tell her that I died 
fighting bravely for my country. Her name — for she 
is not called Mrs. Johnson — and address you will find 
within that inclosure. If I come back, you will restore 
it to me as it is ; if I fall, you will know what to do with 
it.” 

I thanked Mr. Johnson very much for the confidence 
he reposed in me, but told him that I had come for the 
very purpose of asking him to let me go in his boat. 

“ You, Mr. Merry ? ” exclaimed the boatswain 
“You’ll be made into mince-meat — cut to atoms — an- 
niliilated. It’s no child’.s play, that cutting-out work we 


48 MAKMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

are going on, let me tell you. Time enough when you 
are bigger.” 

“ But I want to go, that I may know how to do it,” I 
argued ; I have come to sea to learn to be a sailor and 
an officer, and the captain says we should lose no oppor- 
tunity of gaining knowledge ; and I could not find a 
better occasion than the present for gaining an insight 
into what, I fancy, is of very considerable importance.” 

I went on for some time arguing in this way, and 
coaxing the boatswain. _ 

“ Well! well! I cannot give you leave, youngster — 
you know that ; but I have heard of boys stowing them- 
selves away under a sail in the bows of a boat, and 
coming out to play their part right manfully when the 
time for action had arrived. I am to have the pinnace, 
you know.” 

“ Thank you — thank you,” I exclaimed, overwhelm- 
ed with gratitude at the enormous favor done me by the 
boatswain, of allowing me to run a considerable chance 
of getting knocked on the head. 

“ Don’t say any more about it, Mr. Merry,” said Mr 
Johnson ; “ I always liked you ; and I couldn’t do for 
my own son, if I had one, more than I would do for 
you.” 

The boatswain forgot to ask for his letter back, so I 
locked it up in my desk, after I had written a few lines 
to inform my family that, if they received them, it would 
be to convey the information that I had fallen, nobly 
fighting for my country, on the field of fame — or some- 
thing to that effect. I know I thought my epistle so 
very fine and pathetic that I could not resist the temp- 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


49 


tation of sending it home, and very nearly frightened 
my mother and sisters into hysterics, under the belief 
that I really was numbered among the killed and 
wounded. It was only when they got to the postscript 
that they discovered I was all right and well. Having 
written this despatch, announcing my own demise — 
which, by the by, I should certainly not have done had 
not the boatswain put it into my head — I set to work 
to make my other preparations. Having secured a 
pistol, with some powder and bullets, and a cutlass, 
which I fancied I could handle, I stowed them away in 
the bows of the pinnace. 

I never before played the hypocrite, but I was so 
afraid that my messmates would discover my purpose, 
that I pretended to take no interest in the proposed ex- 
pedition, and spoke as if it was an affair in which I 
should be very sorry to be engaged. I got, in conse- 
quence, considerably sneered at ; Miss Susan, especially, 
amused himself at my expense, and told me that I had 
better go back to my sisters, and help them to sew and 
nurse babies, if I was afraid of fighting. I bore all that 
was said with wonderful equanimity, hoping that the 
next morning would show I was a greater hero than any 
of them. 

At length the boats’ crews were piped away ; it was 
the signal for which I had long been listening. I rushed 
on deck, and, unperceived, as I hoped, I jumped into 
the pinnace, and stowed myself away under the thwarts. 
The boats were lowered, the order was given to shove 
off, and, with a hearty cheer from all on board the ships, 
to which those in the boats responded, away we pulled 
5 


50 marmadukp: merry, tjie midshipman. 

for the mouth of Camaret Bay. My position was any 
thing but pleasant, especially as I got several kicks from 
the feet of the men which nearly stove in my ribs ; and 
1 was therefore very glad when I thought it would bo 
safe to crawl out and present myself to the boatswain. 
The men, very naturally, were highly pleased, and I 
rose considerably in their estimation by what I had 
done ; but IMr. Johnson, of course, pretended to be very 
angry when he saw me, and told me tlie captain would 
never forgive me, or speak to me again, if I got killed. 
At first, the men were allowed to laugh and talk as 
much as they liked ; but as we approached the entrance 
to the bay, silence was enjoined, and even the oars were 
muffled, so that we should give no notice to the enemy 
of our approach. 

The night was very dark. Our boat had kept near 
that of our leader, Mr. Bryan ; but after some time it 
was discovered that the other division of boats had not 
come up. We had pulled very fast, and probably out- 
stripped them. We pulled on till we got within the 
very mouth of the harbor, and then the order w’^as passed 
from boat to boat that w'e w^ere to lay on our oars till 
the rest of the boats came up. I found this rather a 
trying time. While we w-ere rapidly jmlling on I could 
not think, and I felt a powerful longing to be slashing 
aw^ay at the enemy. Now I began to reflect that they 
wmuld be equally slashing awmy at me ; and I remem- 
bered my own pathetic letter, and w'hat I fancied Jona- 
than Johnson’s anticipations of evil. Probably the men 
were indulging in much the same sort of tlioughts ; 1 
know that they did not aj)pear to be in nearly such good 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 5l 

spirits as at first. This showed me what I have ever 
since remembered, that when dashing work is to be 
done, it should be done off-hand, and that all pains 
should be taken to avoid a halt or interruption. 

Hour after hour passed by ; no boats appeared. At 
length the day broke, and so rapidly did it come on 
that, before we had time to get to a distance, the light 
revealed us to the eyes of the enemy. The other boats 
were nowhere to be seen ; they, for some reason, had 
returned to the ships ; we had now no resource but to 
do the same, in a very crestfallen condition. 

I hid myself away, as before, and managed to get on 
board without any one discovering where I had been. 
I knew that Mr. Johnson would ke*ep his counsel, and I 
did my best to keep mine. Captain Collyer and the 
other captains were very much annoyed at the failure 
of the expedition, and it soon became known that they 
had resolved to make another attempt to cut out the 
Chevrette. 

There was no time to be lost. Another expedition 
was arranged for that night. Every one knew that it 
would be far more dangerous than it would have been 
on the previous night, because the enemy would now be 
prepared for our reception. The corvette, indeed, was 
seen to go further up the harbor, so as to be more com- 
pletely under the protection of the batteries; and as 
boats were continually passing between her and the 
shore, there could be little doubt that she was augment- 
ing the number of her crew. Notwithstanding the for- 
midable resistance they might thus expect to meet with, 
all were as eager as before to join in the expedition. 


52 MAKMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

I resolved not to be baulked of my expected amuse- 
ment, but how to accomplish my purpose was the difti- 
culty. I heard both the officers and men regretting the 
failure of the previous night, and observing that they 
should have much tougher work the next time, by 
which I knew that the danger would be very greatly 
increased ; but that only made me the more eager to go 
on the expedition. The resistance to be expected was, 
indeed, formidable. We could see with our glasses the 
people busily employed in throwing up new batteries on 
shore ; and then a large gun vessel came out and an- 
chored at the mouth of the bay, to give notice of the 
approach of boats. What, however, excited the rage 
of all on board, and made us still more eager to capture 
the French corvette, was to see her hoist a large French 
ensign above the British flag. 

“That insult seals her fate,” observed Mr. Bryan, 
loud enough for the men near to hear him. “ Our 
fellows will take very good care to reverse those two 
flags before many hours are over.” 

I was in a very fidgety state all day. I was not ac- 
customed to concealment, and I dared trust no one with 
my plans. Even Toby Blufl', I suspected, would try to 
prevent me going, unless he was allowed to go also ; 
and that I did not wish, as it would, in the first place, 
have increased the chances of my being discovered, and 
also, though I was ready enough to run the risk of 
being knocked on the head myself, I did not wish to let 
him get hurt if I could help it. I likewise very care- 
fully kept out of the boatswain’s way. I knew that, 
as the danger was increased, he would be still less will- 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 53 

ing to let me go, and I was in a great fright lest he 
should have an opportunity of speaking to me alone, 
and altogether prohibit me from going in his boat. At 
last a bright idea occurred to me — I would sham ill, 
and then no one would suspect me. I immediately 
went to our long-headed Scotch assistant-surgeon, 
Macquoid, and described my symptoms. 

“ You’re vary ill, lad — vary ill,” he answered, look- 
ing at me with a quizzical expression in his humorous 
countenance. “ I’ll give you something which will do 
for ye, and not make ye wish for any more physic for a 
long time to come.” 

Macquoid was as good as his word. Terribly nauseous 
was the draught he insisted on my swallowing; nor 
would he leave me till every drop had gone down, and 
then I rushed off to the berth and threw myself on a 
locker to luxuriate in the flavor, which nothing I could 
take would remove from my mouth. 

It was the first and last time I ever made an attempt 
at malingering. 


6 * 


54 MAKftlADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSlUrMAN. 


CHAPTER III. 

After I had taken Macquoid’s nauseous draught, 
I went and lay down on my chest. I chose that spot 
because, from the uncomfortable position in which I was 
obliged to place myself, I was not likely to go to sleep, 
and because I was there better able to hear when the 
boats’ crews were called away. I could not help now 
and then giving way to a groan, which the sickness and 
pain of the physic produced. 

“ Who’s that ? ” I heard old Perigal inquire, as he 
was passing to the berth. 

“ Oh, it’s only that little sneak. Merry,” Spellman 
answered. “ He thinks that he may be ordered off in 
the boat, and is shamming sick to escape, as if such a 
hop-o’-my-thumb as he is could be of any use.” 

“ That is not like him. I consider him a very plucky 
little fellow,” remarked Perigal. 

“ Thank you, old boy,” I said mentally. “ And you, 
Miss Susan, I’ll be even with you some day for your 
obliging remarks.” 

I cannot say, however, that I felt any enmity toward 
Spellman on that account. I had not respect enough 
for him for that. I would rather, however, have parted 
with more kindly feelings toward all my messmates on so 
dangerous an expedition. I could not help thinking 
over the matter while lying so long silent by myself, 
but my resolution to accomplish my design was not 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 55 

Bliaken. My messmates went into tlie berth, and just 
then I heard the boats piped away. I ran quickly upon 
deck, and, while the men were buckling on their cutlasses, 
1 slijiped into the pinnace, and stowed myself, as before, 
into so small a space that even the boatswain, who 
looked into the boat, did not perceive me. I knew that 
he looked for me, because I heard his gruff voice say, 
“ All right ; he’s not there. He’s thought better of it.’’ 
At about half-past nine the final order to shove off was 
given, and away we went. 1 got fewer kicks this time 
for I took good care to keep my legs out of the way 
The men, also, I sus])ect, guessed that I was there. ] 
knew that I was perfectly safe with them. 

The flotilla consisted of fifteen boats, containing nearly 
three hundred officers and men, not counting myself. 
After we had got, as I supposed, about a couple of miles 
from the ship, and I knew that I could not be sent back, 
I ventured to crawl out and look over the gunwale. The 
inky sea around ns was dotted with boats, all the party 
keeping pretty close together. The night was so dark 
that I could see little more than their outlines, as they 
crept rapidly along, like manj’^-footed monsters, over the 
deep. I did not fancy that Mr. Johnson knew I was 
there, but his sharp eyes made me out through the 
gloom. 

“ Mr. Merry, step aft, if you please, sir,” he bawled 
out suddenly. 

Stepping over the oars, I went and sat myself down 
by him, but said nothing. 

• . “ Mr. Merry, this conduct is highly reprehensible ; 1 
must report it to the captain as soon as we get back. 


56 MAKMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSIIirMAN. 

after we have carried and brought out that French 
corvette, and covered ourselves with honor and glory ; 
and I don’t know what he’ll say to you. And now, sir, 
after, as in duty bound, from being your superior officer, 
I have expressed my opinions, I should like to know 
what you are going to do when we get alongside the 
enemy ? ” 

“ Climb up with the rest, and fight the Frenchmen,” 
I replied promptly. 

“Very good, Mr. Merry; but suppose one of ‘the 
Frenchmen was to give you a poke in the ribs with a 
boarding pike, or a shot through the chest, or a slash 
with a cutlass, what would you do then ? ” 

“ Grin and bear it, I suppose, like anybody else,” was 
my answer. 

“ Very good, very good, indeed, Mr. Merry,” said the 
boatswain, well pleased ; “ that’s the spirit I like, and 
expected to find in you. Now, my boy, whatever you 
do, stick by me; I’ll do my best for you. If I get 
knocked over, and there’s no saying what will happen 
in desperate work like this, then keep close to Edkins. 
He’s a good swordsman, and won’t let you be hurt if he 
can help it. I should be sorry if any harm came to 
you. But, Mr. Merry, how are you going to fight ? I 
don’t see that you have got a sword, and I fancy that 
you’ll not do much execution with one of the ship’s 
cutlasses.” 

I told him that I had got my dirk, and that I hoped 
to make good use of that. 

He laughed heartily. 

“ A tailor’s bodkin would be of as much use in board- 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 57 

ing,” he answered ; “ but you shall have one of my 
pistols ; the chances are that I do not require either of 
them. Cold steel suits me best.” 

I thanked Mr. Johnson warmly, and then asked him 
what orders had been received about attacking. He 
told me that some of the boats were to board on the 
bows, and others on the quarters of the corvette ; that a 
quarter-master of the Beaulieu, with a party of men to 
protect him, was to take charge of the helm ; that others 
were to fight their way aloft, to let fall the topsails ; and 
that he, with his men and another boat’s crew, was to 
hold possession of the forcastle, and to cut the cables. 
All this was to be done in spite of any fighting which 
might be taking place. Some were to sheet home the top- 
sails, and the remainder were to do their best to over- 
power the enemy. We had got some way, when we 
caught sight of a strange boat inside of us. 

The commander of the expedition, supposing that she 
belonged to the Chevrette, summoning five other boats 
to attend him, made chase to secure her, ordering his 
second in command to pull slowly on till he rejoined the 
expedition. On we went. As to pulling slow, that was 
a very difficult thing to do just then. So eager were 
the men, that they couldn’t help putting more strength 
into their strokes than they intended. All I know is 
that the nine remaining boats got close up to the har- 
bor’s mouth, and that the others had not joined. We 
lay on our oars, as ordered, for a short time. 

“ What can have become of them ? ” exclaimed a 
lieutenant in one of the boats. 

“ Daylight will be upon us if we don’t look sharp,” 
said another. 


58 MAliiMADUKE MEliliY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

“ It would be a disgrace to go back without attempting 
something,” cried a third. 

“ We will lose no more time, but try what we can do 
witliout them,” said the senior officer of tlie party. He 
was undoubtedly very eager to lead on the occasion. 
Certain necessary alterations were made. 

' “ Gentlemen, you all know your respective duties,” 

he added. “ Then give way ! ” 

Right cheerfully the men bent to their oars, and up 
the harbor we dashed. I kept looking ahead for the 
enemy. I knew that as soon as we saw her, she would 
see us, and then the fun would begin. I felt rather 
nervous, but very eager. 

“ There she is,” cried the boatswain. • ' 

Suddenly through the gloom, I saw the tall masts and 
spars of the ship we were to attack. A voice from her 
hailed us in French. Of course our only reply was a 
hearty cheer, and on we dashed faster than ever. Not 
unmolested though. The next moment, sheets of flame 
darted from the ports, from one end of tlie ship to the 
other, and showers of grape and bullets rattled about 
our heads. A groan, or a cry of anguish from some of 
the boats, told that the emissaries of destruction had 
taken effect. Thick fell the shot, and the next instant 
a heavy fire opened on us from the shore ; but nothing 
stopped our progress. On we dashed, and were quickly 
alongside the enemy. The whole side bristled with 
boarding pikes, and as we attempted to climb up, 
muskets and pistols were discharged in our faces, and 
tomahawks and sabres came slashing down on our 
heads. Our men cheered and grasped hold of the 


MAUMADUKE MERKY, THE MIDSIIIRMAN. 59 


ship’s sides, but again and again were thrust back, and 
then the Frenchmen leaped into our boats, making a 
dashing effort to drive us out of tliem. Tliey had better 
have remained on their own deck, for very few got 
back. Some did thougli, and formed shields to our 
men, who climbed up after them. Meantime, our boat 
had boarded, as directed, on the starboard bow, but 
finding it hopeless so get up there, Mr. Johnson dropped 
astern, and perceiving only one boat on the quarter, 
and space for us to shove in, we hooked on, and the 
next instant were scrambling up the side. I kept close 
to the boatswain. I thought that we were about to gain 
the deck, when the enemy made a rush toward us, and 
over he M'ent, and I was left clinging to the side, with a 
dozen sabres flashing above my head. As to letting go, 
I never thought of that. I kept Mr. Johnson’s pistol in 
my right hand, and was about to fire, when down came 
a sword, which would have clove my head in two, had 
not a lieutenant of marines in the next boat, interposed 
his own weapon, and saved me. But the act was one 
of self-devotion, for the Frenchman brought his sabre 
down on my preserver’s arm, while another thrust a 
pike through his body, and hurled him back, mortally 
wounded, to the bottom of the boat. I should, after all, 
have shai’ed the same fate, had not Mr. Johnson, at that 
instant recovered himself, and with a shout, loud enough 
to make our enemies quake, up he sprang, and, with one 
Avhirl of his cutlass, drove the Frenchmen from the 
side. Over the bulwarks he leaped ; 1 and most of the 
men./rom the two boats followed. But though we had 
gained the deck, there seemed but little chance of o ir 
forcing our way forward. 


t>0 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSnTPMAN. 

Our men, in the first desperate struggle alongside, had 
lost their firearms, and for a few seconds the tall figure 
of our boatswain, as he stood up facing the enemy, of- 
fered a mark to a score of muskets aimed at him. The 
Frenchman, expecting to see him fall, came on boldly. 
I grasped his pistol, hoping to avenge him. 

“ The forecastle is our station, lads,” he shouted, and 
his stentorian voice was heard above the din of battle. 
“ Make a lane, there ; make a lane, there,” he added, 
dashing furiously among the enemy. I follow'ed by his 
side. His whirling cutlass flashed round, and sent the 
Frenchmen flying on either side. On we went, intent 
on our object, bearing down all opposition, to gain the 
forecastle, while another party had got possession of the 
helm. The deck was by this time covered with killed 
and wounded. Many of our men had fallen. We strode 
over friend and foe alike, alive or dead. The break of 
the top-gallant forecastle was gained. It was desperately 
defended, but the boatswain, clearing with a sweep of 
his cutlass a spot to stand on, sprang up among the as- 
tonished Frenchman. I felt myself lifted up after him ; 
our men followed ; and though pikes were thrust at us, 
and pistols were flashed in our faces for a few seconds, 
our opponents either leaped overboard, or threw them- 
selves on the deck, and sang out for quarter. Some of 
our men, appointed for the purpose, went to the head 
sails, while others instantly cut the cable. I glanced 
my eye upwards ; the topmen who had fought their way 
aloft, had cut loose the topsails with their cutlasses, and 
they were now being sheeted home ; but the fightiqg was 
not over; a desperate attempt was being made by the 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


61 


enemy to drive us out of the ship. The boatswain, 
mean time, was uttering his war shouts, issuing orders 
to the men, and dealing death and wounds around. 

“ Old England forever ! hoist the fore-staysail. Back, 
ye Johnny Crapeaus ! Back, ye French scarecrow’s ! 
Haul away my lads, and belay all that. Hurra ! we’ve 
gained the day ! ” 

In the latter assertion he was somewhat premature, 
for the French crew, now rallying amidships, made a 
desperate attack on the forecastle, but the boatswain’s 
flashing weapon literally cut them down like corn before 
the reaper’s scythe, as they came on. Still they pressed 
round us. Most of our men were occupied in making 
sail. 

A big Frenchman, the boatswain of the ship, I fancy, 
who was almost as big as Jonathan himself, now sprang 
ahead of his comrades to measure his strength with our 
champion. He was evidently a first-rate swordsman, 
and in his progress forward had already cut down two 
or three of our men. He shouted something to his com- 
panions ; it was, as I suspected, to tell them to try and 
wound Mr. Johnson while he was engaging him in front. 
I had hitherto grasped the pistol he had given me, but 
had not fired it. I felt for the lock. On came the 
Frenchmen; Mr. Johnson had need of all his skill to 
keep his enemies at bay. The French boatswain pressed 
him desperately hard. One of his mates rushed in, and 
was bringing down his cutlass with a terrific sweep, 
which would have half cut our boatswain in two, when, 
raising my pistol, I fired at the man’s head. The bullet 
went through his brain, and his cutlass, though wound- 


b‘2 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPi^FAN. 

ing Johnson slightly in the leg, fell to the deck. The 
boatswain’s weapon meantime was not idle, and at the 
same moment, it descended with a sweep which cut the 
Frenchman’s head nearly in two, and he fell dead among 
his comrades. It was at that instant the French discov- 
ered that their ship was under weigh. “ Sauve qui 
pent ! ” was the cry. Some jumped overboard and en- 
deavored to swim on shore. Many leaped below, either 
in fear or with determination still to carry on the fight, 
and others threw down their arms and cried for mercy. 
Not a cutlass was raised on them after that, but the fel- 
lows who fled below had got possession of some muskets, 
and began firing at all of us who appeared near the 
hatchways. A party of our men, however, leaped down 
among them, and quickly put a stop to their proceed- 
ings. 

The ship was now completely under our command ; 
the sails filled, she felt the helm, and was standing down 
the harbor. Though it appeared to me nearly an hour, 
if not more, I found that not five minutes had passed 
since the boats got alongside. But we were not quite 
free. We were congratulating ourselves on our success, 
when a shot whistled between our masts, followed by 
another, and a heavy battery opened upon us. We 
were too busy to reply to it, and the men went about 
their work just as coolly as if nothing was occurring. 
The wind was light, and we were a long time exposed 
to the fire of the battery. Mr. Johnson, between 
pulling and hauling, for he lent a hand to everybody, 
apostrophized the masts, «nd urged them not to get 
shot away. He evidently thought more of them just 


MAiiMADUKE MEllRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 63 

then than of any thing else. They were in his depart- 
ment. 

“I wonder, Mr. Johnson, whether any of us will 
have to change heads?” said 1. 

“ If you and I did, you’d look rather funny with my 
mug on your shoulders,” he answered, with a loud 
laugh. “ Even your own mother would’nt know you, 
I suspect.” 

Just then a shower of grape came rattling round us, 
and though I could hear the shot whistling by, close to 
my ears, not one of us was hit. I could not help wish- 
ing that a breeze would spring up, and carry us clear 
of the unpleasant neighborhood. Just then the missing 
boats arrived, and rather surprised our friends were to 
find that we had already secured the prize. Though 
too late to help to take her, they were of great assist- 
ance in towing her out of range of the enemy’s batter- 
ies, and I believe some of the poor fellows in them 
were hit while so employed. At length a breeze sprang 
up, and all sail being made, right merrily we glided out 
of the enemy’s harbor, much, undoubtedly, to their dis- 
gust and to our very great satisfaction. 

Now came the sad work of counting the killed and 
wounded. We had lost twelve of the former, two be- 
ing officers, and nearly five times that number wound- 
ed; while we found that the corvette had her captain, 
three lieutenants, and three midshipmen, and eighty- 
five seamen and soldiers killed, being ninety-two killed, 
though only sixty-two were wounded. The deck was a 
complete shambles : the wounded were carried below, 
friends and foes alike, though the dead Frenchmen 


d4 marmaddke merry, the midshipman. 

w'ere hove overboard at once. Our own dead, being 
not so numerous, were kept to be committed to the deep 
with more ceremony in the morning. Among them 
was a midshipman. I could not help lifting up the flag 
wliich covered his face. Poor fellow, there he lay, 
stiff and stark ! A jovial laughing fellow he had been, 
cracking his jokes but a few minutes before, just as we 
were entering the harbor. Such might have been my 
fate. He had fallen, though in the path of duty. He 
had been ordered to come. I felt more sad, and was 
more thoughtful, than I had ever been in my life be- 
fore. How long I stood there I do not know. Mr. 
elohnson’s voice aroused me. 

“I haven’t had time to speak to you before, Mr. 
Merry,” said he. “ You did very well, — vei-y well 
indeed. Jonathan Johnson thanks you from the bottom 
of his heart; that he does. If it had’nt been for your 
steady aim, and the unfailing accuracy of my pistol 
which you fired, I should now be among those lying 
there, covered witli glory ; — a very fine thing in the- 
ory to be covered with, but, practically, 1 would rather 
be alive, and have less of it. However, I mustn’t stop 
talking here. By the by, there’s Mr. Bryan has found 
you out. I will tell him how you have behaved, and I 
dare say that he’ll not get you into trouble, if he can 
help it.” 

I thought that would be very kind in Mr. Bryan. 
It did not occur to me that I had done any thing to 
be proud of ; nor had I, indeed. I had done what I 
ought not to have done. I wanted to see some fight- 
ing ; I had seen it, and just then I felt that I did not 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 65 


want to any more. Tlie face of that dead midship- 
man haunted me. I had had a sort of notion that mid- 
shipmen could not be killed, and now I had had proof 
positive to the contrary. I felt unusually grave and 
sad. For a long time I could not get the face out of 
my head. I believe that it contributed to sober me, 
and to prevent me from being the reckless creature I 
might otheinvise have become. 

Day broke as we hove in sight of the squadron, and 
loud cheers saluted us as we brought up in triumph 
among them. A prize crew was put in charge of the 
captured ship, and I returned in the pinnace Avith the 
boatswain to the Doris. I was in hopes of getting on 
board without being observed, but too many eyes were 
gazing down on us for me to do that. Spellman was, 
of course, one of the first to discover me. 

What you there, ‘ hop o’ me ? ’ ” he exclaimed ; 
‘‘how did you tumble into the boat?” 

“ Don’t answer him,” whispered the boatswain, as we 
climbed up the side ; “ I’ll let him know what I think 
of you and him.” 

I ran down below as fast as I could to change my 
clothes and wash, for I was dreadfully dirty, covered 
from head to foot with powder and blood. The first 
person I encountered was Toby Bluff. 

“ O Muster Merry, Muster Merry ! Be you really 
and truly alive?” he exclaimed, throwing his arms 
round my neck, and bursting into tears. “ They told 
me you was gone away to be killed by the Frenchmen, 
and I never expected to see you more ; that I didn’t. 
But is it yourself, squire? You looks awful smoky and 
6 * 


66 MARMADUKK MERRY, THE .AriDSHIPMAN. 

bloody loike. Where are all the wounds ? You’ll be 
bleeding to death, sure. Let me run for the doctor.” 

He would have been off like a shot, but I assured 
him that I was not hurt. After he was satisfied that 
such was the case, I despatched him to the book’s galley 
to procure some hot water, with which, and the aid of 
soap, I managed speedily to get rid of the stains of the 
fight. By the time I got to rights, breakfast was on the 
table, and I went into the berth and sat myself down 
as if nothing had happened. I flattered myself that 
m}^ messmates looked at me with considerable respect, 
though they badgered me not a little. 

“ Where have been, youngster ? ” said one. You’ll 
catch it, my boy ! ” 

“ What have you been about. Merry? ” asked old Peri- 
gal, who was rather annoyed at not having been allowed 
to go. “ Getting most kicks or halfpence, I wonder ? 
but ‘duty is duty, and discipline is discipline,’ as the 
master remarks ; and you mustn’t be playing ‘these 
pranks, my boy, or you’ll get knocked on the head, or 
turned out of the service. Over zeal is not approved 
of at head-quarters.” 

I went on eating my breakfast with perfect equanim- 
ity, and I veiy soon found that my messmates were 
eager to have an account of the expedition, which 1 
was able to give them with tolerable clearness. I was 
still somewhat uncomfortable as to what the captain 
would say, and, before long, he sent for me. I went 
trembling. He received me, however, very kindly, 
though he was somewhat grave. 

“ The boatewain speaks in the highest terms of youi 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 67 

coolness and courage, and says that you saved his life. 
I am therefore willing to overlook your infraction of 
the rules of discipline on this occasion, but remember 
that, however well you may behave in other respects 
you can never make wrong right. In consequence of 
this, I cannot speak of your bravery in public as I 
should have liked to do.” 

This was a good deal for the captain to say, and more, 
I felt conscious, than I deserved. The oflficers were 
very civil to me, and I felt that I had certainly risen in 
public estimation, and was no longer looked upon as a 
little boy. 

A few days after this, Spellman came into the berth 
in a great rage, stating that he had overheard the boat- 
swain say that Mr. Merry was worth his weight in 
gold, and that he, Spellman, was not worth his in 
paving-stones. 

“ Listeners never hear any good of themselves,” ob- . 
served one. 

“ And if your are not worth your weight in paving- 
stones, I should like to know what you are worth?” 
asked old Perigal. 

“ I am much obliged to the boatswain for his good 
opinion of me,” said I. “ But he probably was thinking 
of the saying that London is paved with gold, and 
meant to say that you were worth your weight in gold 
paving-stones.” 

“ That may be,” answered Spellman, willing to be 
pacified ; “ but I cannot say I liked his tone.” 

On this there was a general laugh. The boatswain’s 
tone was well known. It was wonderful what withering 


68 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIP3IAN. 

contempt he could throw into it. The men dreaded it 
more than they did even his rattan, and that, in his 
hand, was a somewhat formidable weapon. I remem- 
bered his promise when Spellman was quizzing me, on 
our return from capturing the Chevrette, and I found 
that he had fulfilled it. I thanked him the next time 
we met off duty. 

“ Yes, Mr. Merry ; I like to serve my friends, and 
serve out my enemies. Not that poor Mr. Spellman 
is an enemy of yours or mine ; but — I say it with all 
due respect — he is a goose, and I like to baste geese.” 

I did not repeat to Spellman what Mr. Johnson had 
said of him. I had an intuitive feeling that it was 
harmful to tell a person what another says of him, 
except it happens to be something especially pleasant. 
I belie ve more ill-blood and mischief is created in that 
way than in any other. 

Soon after this, we sailed on a cruise to the westward, 
for the purpose of intercepting some of the enemy’s 
homeward-bound merchantmen. 

Notwithstanding wliat I have said of Spellman, 1 
was in reality on very good terms with him. He was 
continually playing me tricks ; but then I paid him off 
in his own coin. I had, however, made the friendship 
of another messmate, George Gray by name. He was 
about my own age and size, and came from Leicester- 
shire, but from a different part of the county to that 
where my family lived. I liked him, because he ^vas 
such an honest, upright little fellow. No bullying or 
persuasion could make him do wdiat he thought wrong. 
I do not mean to say that he never did any thing that 


JIARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


6 


was wrong. When he did, it was without reflection 
I never knew him to do premeditated harm. We stuck 
by each other on all occasions ; skylarked together, 
studied navigation together ; and when we were 
together, the biggest bully in the mess held us in 
respect. Mr. Johnson liked George Gray as much as 
he did me. 

I had never yet got the boatswain to commence his 
history. I told Gray that I was determined to get it 
out of him, as it was certain to be amusing, though wo 
agreed that we were not bound to believe all he said. 
He certainly was an extraordinary character. A boaster 
and a man (I do not like to use a harsh term) who is 
addicted to saying what is not true, is generally found 
to be a coward, and often a bully ; whereas my worthy 
friend was as brave as a lion, and, gruff as was his 
voice, as gentle as a lamb, as he used to say of himself, 
if people would but stroke him the right way ; and I 
can assert a kinder-hearted monster never lived. Gray 
and I, one afternoon when it was our watch below, 
found him in his cabin. He was taking his after-dinner 
potation of rum and water, yclept “ grog,” and reading 
by the light of a purser’s dip. 

“ Come in, young gentlemen, come in, and be seated,” 
he sung out ; and as we willingly obeyed, he added, 
“ This is what I call enjoyment — food for the mind and 
moisture for the whistle. We have not many oppor- 
tunities for mental improvement and the enjoyment of 
light literature, as you may have discovered by this 
time ; and to a man, like myself, of refined taste, that is 
one of the greatest drawbacks to our noble profession.** 


70 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

Gray and I did not exactly understand what he 
meant ; but, after letting him run on for a little time, 
we told him why we had come, and begged him to 
indulge us by commencing at once. 

“ There is, as you sagaciously observe, young gentle- 
men, no time like the present for doing a thing which is 
to be done ; and so ” — and he cleared his throat with 
a sound which rang along the decks — “I will begin. 
But remember, now, I’ll have no doubting — no cavilling. 
If you don’t choose to believe what I say, you need not 
listen any more. I will not submit to have my word 
called in question.” 

“ Heave ahead ! ” said a voice outside ; I suspected it 
was Spellman’s. I soon found that there were several 
other listeners, and was afraid Jonathan would refuse 
to go on ; but, in reality, he liked to have a large 
audience, and seasoned his descriptions accordingly. 
Again he cleared his throat, and said, — 

“I’ll begin — as I remarked. My mother was a 
wonderful woman. I have a great respect for her 
memory. Joan of Arc, Queen Dido, or the Eoman 
Daughter could not hold a candle to her. She was up 
to any thing, and, had opportunities offered, would have 
been the first woman of her age. As it was, she made 
herself pretty well known in the world, as you shall 
hear. When she was quite a young woman, she once 
on a time became a first lieutenant of a dashing frigate. 
When the captain was killed, she took the ship into 
action, fought two line-of-battle ships broadside to 
broadside, and then, when there was not a stick left 
standing, carried them by boarding. She would have 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 71 

brought both of them into port, but one went down from 
the severe hammering she had given them. You doubt 
what I am telling you, young gentlemen, do you ? Well, 
then, I’ll give you proof enough to satisfy any candid 
mind that I am speaking the truth. You must know 
thal there is a song written about her ; and, of course, 
if she hadn’t done what I have been telling you it 
wouldn’t have been written. It runs thus : 

“ Billy Taylor was a smart young sailor. 

Full of life and full of glee, 

And he went a courting Molly Nailor, 

A maiden fair of high degree.” 

“ That maiden fair was my mother. Billy Taylor, 
do you see, went a courting- her, and swore that he 
loved her better than the apple of his eye, or a ship load 
of prize-money, and no end of glasses of grog, and fifty 
other things, and that her cheeks were like roses from 
Persia, and her breath sweeter than the essence of all 
the gales of Araby that ever blew, and all that sort of 
thing. She believed him, for she was young and 
tender hearted, and (Tid not know what horrible false- 
iioods some men can tell. I do hate a fellow who 
doesn’t speak the truth. Now, do you see, that scoundrel 
Taylor was only bamboozling her all the time, for he 
went away and fell in with another lady who had more 
of the shiners, though less beauty, and he having brought 
to bear the whole broadside of false oaths he had been 
firing away at my respected mother, the other lady 
struck her flag and became his wife. Like other wild 
blades of his stamp, he soon ran through all the poor 


72 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

girl’s money, so he wasn’t a bit the better for it, and she 
was very much the worse. When she had no more left 
for him to lay his hand on, he had to go to sea again. 

“My mother, who was not my mother then, you’ll 
understand, because I wasn’t born till some years after 
that, — and I’m proud to say that my father was a very 
different man to Billy Taylor. He was an honest man ; 
and when Miss Naylor found out all about Billy Taylor’s 
treachery, she resolved to be avenged on him. He had 
entered on board the Thunder bomb, and she heard of 
it. Accordingly she rigged herself out in a suit of sea- 
man’s clothes, and as her father was a seaman, — an 
officer, of course (my parentage was respectable on both 
sides), — and she knew all about seamen’s ways and 
sayings, she very easily passed for one. 

“ One fine morning, off she set in her new toggery 
for Portsmouth, where the Thunder was fitting out. 
She had provided herself with a loaded pistol, which 
she kept in her pocket, vowing to revenge herself on 
the traitor Taylor. 

“As the Thunder was short of hands, the captain 
was very glad to enter the smart young seaman she 
seemed to be when she presented herself before him. 

“ Billy Taylor was aboard, and when she caught sight 
of his face she had some difficulty in keeping her fingers 
off it, I believe you. Not that she was otherwise. I’ll 
have you understand, than a mild-tempered woman, 
when she had her own way, but she had received a good 
deal of provocation, you’ll allow. The deceiver didn’t 
know her, and all went on smoothly for some time. She 
proved herself so smart and active a seaman (or sea 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSIIIRMAN. 73 

woman, — I should say a mermaid, eh?) that she soon 
got made captain of the main-top over the head of Billy 
Taylor and many older hands. How they would have 
fired up if they had known the truth ! 

“ At last the Thunder sailed down channel, and my 
mother began to fancy that all the things that she had 
heard about Taylor might be false, and all her old feel- 
ing for him came back. However, as his ill luck would 
have it, the ship put into Plymouth Sound, and as she 
lay there a boat came off from Causand with a lady 
in it. 

“ Billy Taylor watched the boat till she came alongside, 
and when the lady stepped on deck he kissed her lips 
and folded her in his arms. 

“ Miss Naylor was standing by. The scene was too 
much for her. 

“ ‘ Oh, you foul traitor ! * she exclaimed, drawing hei 
pistol just as the lady and the deceiver Billy were walk- 
ing forward hand in hand. ‘ Take that ! ’ 

“ Off went the pistol,_^and the false lover tumbled 
over as dead as a herring. The lady, at first, was in- 
clined to go into what the uneducated sailors call high- 
strikes — you understand, young gentlemen ; but she 
was a strong-minded woman, and when she heard how 
Billy had been deceiving another girl, she said it served 
him right, and that she would have nothing more to say 
to him, dead or alive ; and, stepping into her boat, away 
she went ashore at Causand, where she had come from. 

“ The captain of the Thunder, when he found out 
that my mother was a woman, and how she had been 
treated by Billy Taylor, as the song says, ‘ very much 
7 


•74 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

approved of what she’d done,’ and declared that she waa 
a fine-spirited girl (which she certainly had proved her- 
self to be), and that he would make her his first lieuten- 
ant as soon as there was a vacancy. You ^ see they did 
things differently in those days to what they do now. 
No one ever hears now of a young woman being made 
first lieutenant, though it is said there are many old 
women higher up in the list ; but it wouldn’t become 
me, holding the subordinate situation of a boatswain, to 
credit the fact. The captain very soon had an oppor- 
tunity of fulfilKng his word, for in a very short time the 
ship went into action, and his next in command being 
killed, he gave Miss Naylor the death vacancy, and 
then she became first lieutenant of the gallant Thunder 
bomb. However, young gentlemen, I must put a stop- 
■'cr on my jaw tackle just now. I have had uninvited 
^'•ieners to my veracious and authentic history, and I 
ope they ha\ie benefited by it.” 

Mr. Johnson placed his finger on the side of his nose, 
and winked one of his piercing eyes. 

“ The fact is, I like to indulge in my faculty of inven- 
tion and amplification, and you may possibly have an 
idea that I have done so in the account I have given 
you of my female parent’s early adventures. Ho ! ho ! 
ho ! ” and he heaved back, and indulged in a long, low, 
hoarse laugh, such as a facetious hippopotamus might be 
supposed to produce on hearing a good pun made by an 
alligator. 

Spellman, and the rest who had been listening out- 
side, on this, beat a retreat, suspecting, probably, that 
the boatswain had been laughing at them. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 75 

Our watch was called, and. Gray and I had to go on 
deck. I had by this time picked up a large amount of 
miscellaneous nautical knowledge ; so had Toby in his 
way. As to going aloft, or in feats of activity, few of 
the other midshipmen could beat' me. I said that I 
could swim well. Our father had taught us all at an 
early age, and I could accomplish the passage across 
the mill-pond five times and back without resting. Toby, 
too, after I had saved him from drowning, had learned 
the art. It was fortunate for us that we had done so. 

We had returned unsuccessful from our cruise to the 
westward, and were somewhere about the chops of the 
channel. Night was coming on, and it was blowing very 
fresh. 

“ A sail on the lee bow ! ” shouted the look-out from 
the mast-head. The wind was southwest, and the frig- 
ate was close-hauled, heading toward Ushant. 

“ What do you make of her ? Which way is she 
standing ? ” asked Captain Collyer, who was on deck. 

“ Looks like a lugger, standing up channel,” was the 
answer. 

“ Up with the helm, keep her away ! ” exclaimed the 
captain. 

“ All hands make sail.” 

In an instant the men were hauling on tacks and 
sheets, braces and bowlines ; the yards were squared 
away, studding sails were set, and off we flew before the 
wind like an eagle at its prey. The chase kept on be- 
fore the wind. I had gone up into the fore-top, though 
I had no business to be there, but it happened to be the 
station of my particular chum. Gray, and I could eu- 


76 marmaduke merry, the midshipman. 

joy a better sight of the chase from thence, than else 
\viiere. 

As the evening advanced, the wind increased, but we 
were gaining rapidly on the chase, and of course tho cap- 
tain was unwilling to shorten sail. Stays and braces 
grew tauter and tauter, studden sail-booms cracked, and 
the topgallant masts bent like willow wands. 

“We are going to get it,” observed the captain of the 
top. 

He was right. Away flew the main-topgallant studden 
sail ; the topmast studden sail followed. At the same mo- 
ment, the foremost guns with a loud roar sent a couple 
of shot after the chase. It was getting dark, but I felt 
sure that one had struck her counter. Still she held 
on, and we continued in chase, she carrying as much 
sail as she could stagger under. 

“ We shall carry the masts out of the ship if we don’t 
look sharp,” observed the captain of the top. 

The yards cracked more than ever. 

“ All hands shorten sail,” cried the captain from the 
deck. “ In with the studden sails.” 

When the men went out on the foreyard, I, to show 
my activity and daring to my messmate Gray, went out 
also. The frigate had begun to pitch and roll a little. 
By some means I lost my hold, and should have fallen 
on deck and been killed, had she not rolled at the mo- 
ment to starboard, and sent me flying overboard. 

“ There goes poor Marmaduke Merry,” shouted 
Gray. 

I was plunged under the water, but quickly rose to 
see the frigate flying by me. As she passed, something 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 77 

was throwD from the deck, and the next instant I oh- 
served, I fancied, some one leap from the mizen chains. 
I did not for a moment suppose that I was going to be 
drowned, but how I was to be saved I could not divine. 
I swam on till I got hold of a grating which had been 
tlirown to me, and had not long seated myself on it when 
I heard a voice sing out — 

All right. Master Marmaduke ; I said I’d go wher- 
ever you -did, but to my mind now it would have been 
better to have stayed on board.” 

It was Toby, and after I had helped him up alongside 
me, I assured him that I agreed with his remark, but 
that I could not help it. I looked anxiously for the frig- 
ate. Her mighty form could only just be distinguished 
through the gloom, and the lugger could nowhere be 
seen. 

“ This isn’t pleasant,” said I. “ But keep up your 
spirits, Toby. I suppose the frigate will turn to look 
for us, and if not, we must hold on till the morning, when 
I hope we may be picked up by some ship or other.” 

“Ne’er fear. Master Marmaduke,” answered Toby. 
“If you think it’s all right. I’m happy.” 

I certainly did not think it all right, for in a short 
time it became so dark that we could scarcely see our 
hands held up before our eyes. As to seeing the frig- 
age, that was out of the question, even if she passed 
close to us. Happily the gale did not increase, and we 
were able to hold on to our frail raft. We couldn’t talk 
much. I felt any .thing but merry. Suddenly the grat- 
ing received a blow, and I saw a dark object rising up 
above us. I was thrown against it. It was the side of 

7 * 


78 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHI1*MAN. 

a vessel. I should have been knocked off the grating 
had I not found a stout rope in my hand. I drew Toby 
to me, we both clutched it ; the grating slipped from un 
der our feet, and there we were hanging on to the side 
of a strange craft. We shouted out, and were at once 
drawn on board, and by the light of a lantern, which 
was held up to examine us, I found that we were on 
board a small vessel, and surrounded by Frenchmen. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 79 


CHAPTER IV. 

The craft on board which Toby Bluff and I so un- 
expectedly found ourselves, was a lugger, as I dis* 
covered by perceiving her yards lying fore and aft 
along the decks. It was evident that her sails had been 
lowered when the squall came on, and so she had not 
been observed as the frigate shot by in the darkness. 
Owing to this circumstance our lives had in all prob- 
ability been saved. Not that I thought about that at 
the time ; on the contrary, from the fierce looks of our 
captors, I fancied that they were going to knock us on 
the head, and I wished that we w'ere safe back on our 
raft again. Toby seemed to feel much as I did. 

“ Oh, Muster Merry ! be these here fellows going to 
eat us ? ” he asked in a tone of alarm. 

“ I hope not, Toby,” I answered. “ If they take us, 
buttons and all, we shall stick in their throats, that’s 
one comfort. However, we will try and put a good 
face on the matter, and, whatever happens, we won’t be 
cast down; only I hope they will not treat us as we 
have often treated miller’s-thumbs, and throw us into 
the water again.” 

While Toby and I were exchanging remarks, the 
Frenchmen were talking to each other and occasionally 
asking us questions, I supposed ; but as we did not un- 
derstand a word of each other’s language, neither party 
was much the wiser. I looked about me. The lug- 


80 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

ger’s decks were crowded with men, and she had sev- 
eral guns cast loose, ready for action. She was, there 
could be n:) doubt, a privateer. I knew that the crews 
of such vessels were often composed of the worst and 
most unscrupulous of characters, and I expected noth- 
ing very pleasant at their hands. At last the captain, 
Avho had been looking out forward at our ship, came 
up to us. 

“ So you one little officer of dat frigate dere,” he ob- 
served. 

“ Yes,” said I, rather proudly ; “ I have that honor.” 

“ Sa ! ” He gave forth a particularly unpleas- 

ant sound from his throat, “You b§tes Anglish, you 
send my wessel to bottom last cruise, and sixty of my 
braves-gargons wid her. I vow I send every Anglish- 
man I catch to look for them. S-a-a — .” 

He looked so vicious that I thought he would execute 
his threat forthwith. I did my best, however, to put on 
a bold front. 

“ Whereabouts did this happen, Monsieur ? ” I asked 
quite coolly. 

“ Some twenty leagues to eastward dere,” he an- 
swered, looking hard at me. 

“ And which way is the tide making ? ” I inquired. I 
happened to have heard the Master observe just before 
I went aloft, that the tide had only then made to the 
westward. 

“ It is vat you call ebb,” said the French captain. 

“ Then you see. Monsieur, that there is no use throw- 
ing us overboard just now, because we should drift 
away to the westward, and your late vessel and crew 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 81 

must be somewhere to the eastward,” said I, as boldly 
as I could, though I had no little difficulty in getting 
out the words. 

“ Ah ! you von Jack-a-napes, you von poule — littel 
fighting coc, I see,” he remarked in an altered tone. 
“Veil, you Stay aboard; you sweep my cabin; you like 
dat better dan drown.” 

“ Certainly, Monsieur, very much better,” said I, con- 
siderably relieved; “I shall be very happy to serve 
you in any way I can, consistent with my honor, and 
perhaps you’ll let this boy here helpjme?” 

“ Bah, no ! ” answered the captain, giving a contemp- 
tuous glance at poor Toby. “ He only fit to sweep out 
de fore hole.” 

I saw that it would not be wise to say any thing 
more, so I held my tongue. 

The captain said a few words to the men, and while 
one led poor Toby forward, another conducted me to- 
ward the companion hatch. Toby turned an imploring 
look at me, and struggled violently. 

“ O Muster Merry ! Muster Merry, they be going 
to cut our throats and heave us overboard. I know 
they bees ; but don’t let them do it till I comes to be 
with ee,” he cried out. “ Don’t ee, now. Muster ; don’t 
ee.’ 

Poor Toby, finding that he could not get loose, began 
kicking and struggling, and shouting out at the top of 
his voice. This seemed to afford infinite amusement to 
the Frenchmen, who imitated him; but, in spite of all 
his efforts, dragged him forward. I, in the mean time, 
was taken aft, and had just reached the companion 


82 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE 





hatch, down which the men were going to thrust me, 
when the captain came running along the deck, shout- 
ing out to his crew. My captors let go of me. In an 
instant, the halliards, tacks, and sheets were manned ; 
sail ^^as rapidly made ; and, two or more reefs having 
been taken in, away we stood, close hauled as near to 
the north west as the wind would allow. I soon learned 
the reason of this proceeding. To my gitat joy, on 
looking eastward, I discovered the frigate looming 
through the darkness, about half gun-shot distance from 
us. Whether the lugger was seen by those on board 
or not was a question. I rather suspected that Captain 
Collyer had stood back to look for Toby and me, though 
it was almost as hopeless as looking for a needle in a 
bundle of hay. I felt very sure that he would search 
for us, and that he would rather lose the chance of cap- 
turing the schooner than lose us ; indeed, I hope that 
there are not many naval officers who would not have 
done the same. I anxiously watched the Doris, to see 
what she would do. The Frenchmen very naturally 
believed that she w'as coming after them. While the 
men were flattening in the sheets, Toby made his es- 
cape, and came up to me. 

“ 0 Muster Merry, who be these people ? Where be 
they taking us to ? What be they going to do to us ? ” 
he asked in a subdued, frightened tone. 

“ Never mind,” said I, “ look thereJ^ 

I pointed to the frigate, which, as far as I could judge, 
seeing her through the darkness, had three reefs down 
in her topsails, and was standing toward us, heeling 
over to the gale. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 83 

“ Hurra shouted Toby. “All right now; she’ll 
soon be sending this here craft to the bottom. Hurra ! ” 

“ Very likely,” said I. “ But we, perhaps, shall have 
to go with her, and, just now, the less noise we make 
the better, or the Frenchmen may be sending us below.” 

Toby was silent. 

No sooner were the lugger’s sails hoisted than she 
was perceived, and in half a minute, to set the matter 
at rest, a shot from a thirty-nine pounder came flying 
between the masts. Toby ducked his head. He saw, 
however, that I did not move mine. I had had so many 
flying about my ears the night we took the Chevrette 
that I had got quite accustomed to them. Another shot 
came, and Toby’s head did not move, as far as I could 
see. I dare say he blinked his eyes a little ; but, as it 
was dark, I am not certain. It was a trial to our 
nerves, for the shot whistled near our shoulders, and, 
though we could not help feeling 'proud of our ship- 
mates’ gunnery practice, we would rather that they had 
not aimed so well. 

“I say, Toby, if, like the boatswain’s acquaintance, 
you get my head on your shoulders, be honest ; don’t 
go and pass yourself off for me,” I observed. 

“ Lor, Muster Merry, I wouldn’t so for to go to for- 
get myself,” he answered, with an expression of horror 
in his voice. 

His tone, more than the words, made me burst into a 
fit of laughter. 

“ You gallon not laugh long,” observed the captain, 
as he hurried aft to take a look at the compass. “ You 
merry now, you cry soon ” 


84 MARMADUKK MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

‘‘ ril laugh while I can ; it’s my nature to be merry 
captain,’’ I answered, determined to appear as brave as 
possible. “ But I say, captain, what does that big ship 
want yoi. to do ? ” 

“ Ah you von little rogue,” he answered, less angrily 
than I might have expected. “You go below, or you 
get head knock off.” 

“ Thank you,” said 1. “ But I may have to go lower 

than I like if I do, so I would rather stay on deck and 
see what is going forward.” 

The captain merely answered, “ Bah,” as if he had 
too much to think of just then, to trouble himself about 
us, and issued some orders to his crew. Two long guns 
were immediately cast loose and pointed at the frigate. 

“ They can’t hope to contend with her,” I observed to 
Bluff. But they did though, and began blazing away 
in right good earnest. They fired high, for their object 
was to wing her. If they could have knocked some of 
her spars away they would have had a better chance of 
escaping. 

The lugger was evidently a very fast craft, and held 
her own wonderfully. This was soon perceived on 
board the frigate, which began to fire more rapidly than 
before. Captain Collyer had not spared powder and 
shot, and, since we left port, the men had been every 
day exercised at the guns. The result was now appar- 
ent by the number of shot which passed through the 
sails of the lugger, or struck her. Still the Frenchmen 
seemed in no way inclined to yield. The captain stood 
aft, issuing his orders with the greatest coolness. His 
officers were much less collected, and kept running 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 85 

about with ropes in tlieir hands, frequently striking the 
men if they flinched from their guns. The lugger, 
which was really a very powerful vessel, of some two 
hundred and fifty tons, tore through the seas, which 
came in cataracts over her bows, deluging her fore and 
aft. 

I was glad that Toby and I were near the companion- 
hatch, that we might hold on tight to it. The scene 
was stirring in the extreme ; rather more than was 
pleasant indeed. I did not like the state of things, and 
Toby’s teeth began to chatter in his head. It was very 
dark. The wind roared through the rigging ; the sails, 
extended to the utmost, would, I thought, burst from the 
boltropes, or carry the stout mast out of the vessel. 
The lugger heeled over till the men at the guns were 
up to their knees in water, and at last they could only 
fire as she rolled to windward. It must be remembered 
that the frigate was to leeward. Though she sailed 
faster than the lugger, the latter was weathering on her. 
My knowledge of seamanship scarcely enabled me to 
form a correct judgment as to the Frenchman’s chance 
of esca])e, but still I did not fancy that any thing could 
run away from the Doris, — our frigate, — which, I 
was fully persuaded, was the perfection of naval archi- 
tecture, and every thing a ship should be. The French- 
men were all this time wonderfully silent, except when 
a shot whistled past their ears or struck the vessel, and 
then they gave way to volleys of oaths and execrations, 
the meaning of which, however, I did not understand 
They appeared very resolute, and I thought fully ex 
pected to escape. 


8 


86 MARMA.DUKE MERRY, THE MIDSIIIRMAN. 

On we tore through the raging sea, and often so 
blinded were we with the showers of spray which fell 
on board, that the flashes of the guns alone showed us 
the position of the frigate. I was saying that 1 was sure 
Captain Collyer would do his best to pick Toby and me 
up, and now, when I saw him chasing the lugger, it 
occurred to me that he must have either guessed that 
we were on board her, or that he must have come to 
the conclusion that we were lost. 

“ I wonder what they are saying about us ? ” I re- 
marked, partly to Toby and partly to myself. “ Mr. 
Johnson will be sorry for us, and so will Gray, and so, 
I really believe, will old Perigal. I don’t think Spell- 
man will, though. I rather suspect he’ll be for consti- 
tuting himself my heir, and taking possession of my 
books and things. However, I hope we may some day 
get on board again, and make him disgorge.” 

There did not seem much chance of that though. 
Every moment I expected, should a shot not send her 
first to the bottom, to see the lugger run her bows right 
under, as she tore on through the raging waters. The 
frigate seemed to be gaining very little, if at all, on us. 
The Frenchmen naturally calculated on the darkness 
increasing, and when once out of her sight, on being 
able to alter their course, and get clear away. I de- 
voutly hoped that they would not. Hours, it seemed 
to me, passed away ; still the lugger and the frigate 
held their relative positions, the latter firing occasion 
ally, but the Frenchmen, after a time, ceased doing so ; 
indeed, in the heavy sea running, they could scarcely 
work their guns. The wind increased, but there wa*» 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 87 

no sign of shortening sail ; tlie sky sent down deluges 
of rain ; it became darker than ever. I had never, I 
thought, taken my eyes off the frigate, except when 
the spray dashed over me, and compelled me to close 
them for a moment. I was looking in the direction 
where I had last seen her. 

“ Bluff, do you see her ? ” I exclaimed suddenly, 
rubbing my eyes at the same time with all my might, 
to bring back the object I had lost. 

“ No, Muster Merry. To my mind she isn’t there,” 
he answered positively. 

The Frenchmen were of the same opinion, for I 
heard them chatting away together, and laughing heart- 
ily. Still we continued on the same tack. Indeed, to 
go about would have been a dangerous operation, and 
to wear would have lost ground, and very likely have 
brought the lugger back in sight of the frigate. No 
one had taken any notice of us for a long time. The 
captain now came to the companion. 

“ Ah, you brave Garmon, come here,” he said, as he 
descended. 

Giving Bluff a pull, as a sign to come after me, I 
followed him below. A bright lamp swung from the 
deck above, and exhibited a well-furnished, if not a 
luxurious cabin, with a table in the centre, on which, 
secured in the usual way, were bottles and glasses, and 
deep dishes containing various sorts of viands. 

“ Come, you hungry ; sit down,” said the captain, — 
an order which I very gladly obeyed, though it was far 
from easy to stick on my chair, or to convey the food 
f.o my mouth. 


88 


MARMADUKE 3IERRY, THE MIDSniTMAN. 


Pierre ! ” shouted the captain, and a man, who seemed 
to be his steward, got up from a corner of the cabiwi 
where he had been asleep, and stood ready to wait on 
us. The captain motioned him to give some bread and 
sausage to Toby, who retired with it to the door, where 
he sat down to eat it at his leisure. 

Our host did not talk much. He put a few ques- 
tions as to the number of the Doris’s guns, and their 
length and weight of metal, and whether she was reputed 
a fast sailer; to all which questions I gave honest an- 
swers, and he seemed satisfied. He rapidly devoured 
his food, and was evidently in a hurry to be on deck 
again. This made me fancy that he was not quite so 
certain of having escaped the frigate as I had at first 
supposed. A glass of hot wine and water raised my 
spirits, for I had been so long in my wet clothes, that, 
although the weather was warm, I had become very 
chilly. Without asking his leave, I handed a glass to 
Toby, who wanted it as much as I did. The captain 
said nothing, but when he got up to go on deck, he 
told me that we might take off our clothes, and turn 
into one of the berths to get warm. At first I was 
going to do so ; but I could not help fancying that some 
accident might happen, and that I would rather be 
dressed, so I sat down with Toby on the deck, liolding 
on by the legs of the table. 

The steward, having stowed away the things, went 
and lay down in his corner, and soon, by his loud snores, 
showed that he was again fast asleep. Toby quickly 
followed his example ; and I had been dozing for some 
time, though I thought that I was awake, when I waa 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 89 

aroused by the report of a gun overhead. The lamp 
had gone out, and left a strong odor of oil in the close 
cabin. The gray light of dawn streamed down the 
companion-hatch. Calling Toby, I jumped on deck. 
There, away to leeward, was the frigate, within gunshot 
distance, but this time the lugger had begun the fight^^ 
and she had not yet fired. The wind had lessened, and 
the sea had gone down considerably. The frigate was 
on our lee quarter, and I saw that, as soon as she opened 
her fire, our chance would be a very small one. 

The French captain, and his officers and men, had 
got two guns over the quarter, having cut away some 
of the bulwarks, and were energetically working them, 
with desperation stamped on their countenances. Toby 
and I stood, as before, holding on to the companion- 
hatch, and this time — I must confess it — my teeth, as 
well as his, chattered with the cold, and damp, and agi- 
tation. No one took any notice of us. The Frenchmen 
were again aiming high, in the hope of knocking away 
some of the frigate’s spars. They were brave fellows ; 
1 could not help admiring them. Shot followed shot in 
rapid succession. I wondered that Captain Collyer’s 
patience was not exhausted. 

“ There ! I know’d they’d do it,” exclaimed Toby, 
suddenly. “ And catch it if they did ! ” he added. 

As he spoke I saw a white splinter glance from the 
fore top-mast of the frigate, while a rent appeared in 
the sail. The Frenchmen shouted as if they had done 
a clever thing, but they had little to shout for ; the next 
instant a shower of round shot came whistling through 
our sails, some just above our heads, two .struck the 
8 * 


90 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

lugger’s side, and one killed three men dead on the 
decks. Though I knew how dangerous was our position 
I was too eager to see what was taking place to go 
below. Still the gallant French captain would net 
strike, but stood as energetically as before, encouraging 
his men to work the guns. 1 wished that he would 
give in though, for my own and Toby’s sake, nor did I 
think that he had a chance of escaping. There he 
stood full of life and energy, now hauling on a gun- 
tackle, now looking along a gun. The next moment 
there was a whistling and crash of shot, and I saw 
several mangled forms sent flying along the deck. One 
was that of the brave captain. I ran to assist him, but 
though there was a convulsive movement of the limbs, 
he was perfectly dead. At the same moment down 
came the lugger’s main-yard. I saw that it was com- 
pletely up with her at all events. Some of the priva- 
teer’s men continued at the guns, but the greater num- 
ber tumbled headlong down below, to avoid the frigate’s 
next broadside. My eye glancing up at that moment, 
I saw the French flag still flying. Believing that the 
only way to avoid the catastrophe was to haul it down, 
followed by Toby, I ran aft to do so. I was too late. 
The Frenchmen fired, and another crushing broadside 
struck the lugger, and made her reel with the shock. 
The companion-hatch was knocked to pieces. We 
should have been killed had we remained at our former 
post. 

The next instant there was a fearful cry — the men 
who had gone below sprang up again with pale faces 
Riid cries of terror. The lugger rushed on, made one 


MAKMADUKE MERllY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 91 

fearful plunge, and I saw that she was sinking. T had 
kei)t my eye on the wreck of the companion-hatch. 
Dragging Toby with me, I sprang to it and clutched it 
tightly, and as the sea washed along the deck, and the 
sinking vessel disappeared, we found ourselves clinging 
to if, and floating on the summit of a curling wave. As 
soon as I had cleared my eyes from the water, I looked 
round for the frigate. She was in the act of heaving to 
in order to lower her boats. The sea around us was 
sprinkled with struggling forms, but not half the lugger’s 
crew were to be seen. Numbers must have gone down 
in her. Shrieks and cries for help reached our ears, 
but we could assist no one. Some were clinging to 
spars and planks, and pieces of the shattered bulwarks ; 
a few were swimming, but the greater number were 
floundering about ; and now I saw a hand disappear — 
now two were thrown up to sink immediately beneath 
the waves — now a shriek of agony reached our ears. 
It was very terrible. The companion-hatch to which 
Toby and I clung had been so knocked about that it 
scarcely held together, and I expected every moment 
that it would go to pieces, and that we should be sepa- 
rated. I earnestly wished for the boats to come to us, 
and it appeared to me that the frigate was far longer 
tlian usual in heaving to and lowering tliem. At last, 
as we rose to the top of a wave, I saw tliree boats 
pulling toward us. The men were giving way with all 
their might as British seamen always will when lives 
are to be saved, even those of enemies. Several French- 
men had been picked up, when I saw a boat making 
toward us. Mr. Johnson was steering, and Spellman 


92 MARMADUKE 3IERRY, THE 3IIDSIIIPMAN. 

was the midshipman in her. We were not recognized 
when we were hauled into the boat, and might not have 
been had I not said, — 

“ What, Spellman, don’t you know me ? ” 

“ You, Merry,” he exclaimed, looking at me with an 
astonished gaze. “ What business have you here ? 
Why, we left you drowning — up Channel somo- 
where — hours ago.” 

“ Thank you, but we have taken a cruise since then,” 
said L 

“And rather a perilous one, young gentleman,” 
exclaimed the boatswain, now recognizing me. “ You 
had the shot rattling pretty thick about you, and I am 
heartily glad to see you safe, that I am.” And he 
nearly wrung my hand off as he shook it. “ I never 
saw guns better aimed than ours were, except once, and 
that was when I was attacking a Spanish line-of-battle 
ship in a jolly boat. I’ll tell you all about it some day, 
but we’ll just pick up some of these drowning French- 
men first. Give way, my lads.” 

The other two boats rescued several of the luffjrer’s 
crew ; we got hold of six or seven more, who were 
floating on spars or planks ; one of them was the second 
officer of the privateer ; but out of a hundred and forty 
men who were on her decks when she went down, not 
more than thirty were rescued. Toby and I met with 
a very pleasant reception when we got on board, ami 
as soon as I had got on some di-y clothes and had had a 
glass of grog to restore my circulation, Captain Collyer 
sent for me into the cabin to hear an account of our 
adventures. He seemed highly interested when I told 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 93 

him of the gallantry of the French captain, and expressed 
his regret at his death. A brave man always appre- 
ciates the bravery of his opponent. When I got back 
to the berth I had to tell the story all over again, and 
Toby, I have no doubt, was similarly employed among 
his messmates. 

“ It is very evident, Merry, that you are reserved for 
a more exalted fate,” was the only comment Spellman 
made, when I ceased. 

“ Thank you. Miss Susan,” I answered ; “ I owe you 
one.” 

“ It is a great pity that the lugger went down, 
though,” observed old Perigal ; “ I should have had a 
chance of taking a run home in her as prize-master, and 
seeing my wife. Besides, she might have given us a 
pinch of prize-money.” 

The regret generally expressed was rather for the 
loss of the few pounds the lugger might have given them 
than for that of the men who formed her crew. 

“ What ! I did not know that you were married,” I 
observed to Perigal when he said he was married. 

“ But I am, though ; and to a young and charming 
wife who deserves a better husband,” he answered in an 
abrupt way. “ If it wasn’t for her I shouldn’t be now 
knocking about the ocean as I have been all my life ; 
and yet, if it was not for her I should have very little 
to keep me on shore. It’s the prize-money, the booty, 
keeps me afloat. I am an arrant buccanier at heart.” 
should not have supposed you that,” said I. 

It was now evening, and old Perigal had his glass of 
grog before him. On these occasions he was always 
somewhat communicative. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MlDSItlEMAN. 


“ I’ve been married six years or more,” he continued 
in a half whisper. “ My wife is the daughter of an old 
shipmate who was killed in action by my side. His last 
words were, ‘ Take care of my orphan child — my 
Mary.’ I promised him I would as long as I had life 
and a shilling in my pocket. I expected to see a 
little girl with a big bow at her waist, and a doll in her 
arms — as he’d described her. He’d been five years 
from home or more, poor fellow. Instead of that, I found 
a handsome young woman, tall and graceful. What 
could I do ? I was struck all of a heap, as the saying 
is ; and I discovered at last, that though I was but a 
mate in the service, and an old fellow to boot compared 
to her, she liked me ; so we married. I’d saved some 
little prize-money, and I thought myself rich ; but it 
went wonderfully quick, and a rogue of a fellow who 
borrowed some wouldn’t even pay me ; and if it hadn’t 
been for the sake of Mary I wouldn’t have said any 
thing to him, but let the coin burn a hole in his pockets. 
I went to law, and the upshot was that I lost all I had 
remaining. Now came the tug of war. Was I to go 
to sea again and leave Mary? I couldn’t bear the 
thought of it. Any thing would be better than 
that. I would enter into some business. A brisrht 
idea struck me. Three or four hundred pounds 
would enable me to carry it out. Mary and I agreed 
that I should have no difiiculty in getting that, I had so 
many friends. I would pay them a good interest. I 
tried. You should have seen how they buttoned up 
their pockets and pursed up their lips ; how many 
similar applications they had, how many decayed 
relations wanted their assistance ! They didn’t say 


MAliMADtJlvE MEIlIlY, YUE MlDSHlPlMAN. 95 


however, that they had assisted them. I had no business 
to complain ; I had made a mistake, and I felt ashamed 
of myself. At first, though my heart swelled, I was 
veiy angry ; but I got over that feeling, and I resolved 
to trust to myself alone. It was not till then that I 
recovered my self-respect. I say, Merry ; if you fancy 
that you have many friends, don’t you ever attempt to 
borrow money from them, or you’ll find that you are 
wofully mistaken. Mary and I talked the matter 
over, and she settled to keep a school, and I to come to 
sea again. 

“ It was a sore trial, youngster, and you may fancy 
that a rich galleon wouldn’t be an unacceptable prize, 
to save the poor girl from the drudgery she has to go 
through. It wasn’t the way her poor father expected 
me to treat her, but I have done my best ; what can a 
man do more ? ” 

The old mate was going to help himself to another 
glass, but he put the bottle away from him with resolu- 
tion. I had observed that he often took more than any- 
body else in the mess ; but after that, whenever I saw 
him doing so, I had only to mention his wife, and he 
instantly stopped. From this account he had given of 
himself, I liked him much better than ever. 

I one day asked Mr. Bryan, who knew his wife, 
about her, and he told me that she was a very superior 
young lady, and that he could not overpraise her. 

Of all my shipmates. Gray seemed most pleased at 
having me back again, and he assured me that had he 
been able to swim he would have jumped after me, and 
I believe that lie would have done so. I promised on 
the first opportunity to teach him to swim. People are 


96 MAllMADUKE ]MEran', THE MIDdllirHAX. 

surprised that so many sailors cannot swim, but the truth 
is, that when once they get to sea, they often have fewer 
opportunities of learning than have people living on 
shore. In southern climates some captains, when it is 
calm, allow the men to go overboard ; but in northern 
latitudes they cannot do this, and many captains do not 
trouble themselves about the matter. My advice there- 
fore is, that all boys should learn to swim before they 
come to sea, and to swim in their clothes. 

Next to Gray, I believe that Mr. Johnson was most 
satisfied that I was not drowned. 

“ I had written an account of what had happened to 
your disconsolate parents, and had taken an opportunity 
of praising you as you deserved ; but as you are alive. 
I’ll put it by ; it will serve for another occasion,” he ob- 
served. 

I thanked him, and begged him to give me the letter, 
which, after some persuasion, he did. I enclosed it to 
my sisters, assuring them that it was written under an 
erroneous impression that I was no longer a denizen of 
this world, and begged them not to be at all alarmed, as 
I was well and merry as ever : 

“ Sir, — Your son and I, though he was only a mid- 
shipman, — I am boatswain of this ship — were, I may 
say, friends and companions ; and therefore I take up 
my pen to tell you the sad news, that he and boy Bluff 
went overboard together this evening, and were lost, 
though we didn’t fail to look for them. It may be a con 
eolation to you to know that they always did their duty, 
which wasn’t much, nor very well done, nor of any use 


MAKMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


9 ? 


to anybody, but that was no fault of theirs, seeing that 
tliey didn’t know better. Then you’ll not fail to remem- 
ber that there’s no longer any chance of your son being 
hung, which has been the fate of many a pretty man, 
cither by mistake or because he deserved it, and that 
must be a comfort to you. I’ve nothing more to say at 
present. 

“ From your obedient servant, 

“Jonathan Johnson, 

“ Boatswain of His British Majesty’s frigate Doris.” 

I had hopes that the letter would afford infinite satis- 
faction to my home circle. 

We ran back to Plymouth with our prisoners, and 
then receiving sealed orders, sailed for the westward. 
On the captain opening his orders, we found that we 
were bound out for the North American and West India 
station. 

One day, as Mr. Johnson seemed in an especially 
good-humor, I got Gray to come, and we begged hard 
that he would go on with his history. 

“ Ah yes, my true and veracious narrative,” he an- 
swered. “ Ho ! ho ! ho ! ” 

His ogre-like laugh sounded along the deck, and served 
as a gong to summon an audience around him, though 
only a favored few ventured into his cabin. 

“I was telling you about my maternal parent, the es- 
timable Mrs. Johnson. I was alluding to times before 
she assumed that appellation, or became my parent. I 
brought up my history to the period when she became 
fii-st lieutenant of the gallant Thunder bomb. She did 
9 


98 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN, 

not remain in that craft long, for the captain, officers, and 
crew, were turned over to a dashing, slashing, thirty-six 
gun frigate, the Firegobbler. It is extraordinary what 
a number of actions that frigate fought, and what others 
wonders she performed — all owing to my mother, I be- 
lieve you. At last, one day, not far off from the chops 
of the Channel, a large ship, under Spanish colors, was 
sighted. The Firegobbler gave chase, and a running 
fight ensued, during which' a shot killed the captain, and 
of course my mother, who took command, followed up 
the enemy. 

“ Before day was over, another Spanish line-of-battle 
ship hove in sight, and when the two closed each other, 
they hove-to, and waited for the Firegobbler, which 
wasn’t long in getting into action. Then, I believe you, 
she did give them a hammering, in such right good 
earnest, that, before the sun set, they cried peccavi^ and 
struck their flags. As I told you, the other day, she 
brought them both in triumph into Plymouth. Now, 
by all the rules of the service, she ought to have been 
promoted, you’ll allow.; but, by some means or other, 
the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty found out 
that she was a woman, — perhaps some jealous fellow 
peached on her, — and, think of their ingratitude, not 
only wouldn’t they give her a commander’s rank, but 
they superseded her, and would by no manner of means 
allow her to remain in the ship. To my mind, those 
bigwigs up in London have no consciences. What en- 
couragement is there for a spirited young woman to go 
and fight her country’s battles ? None ! that’s a fact ! 
Miss Nailor had to go on shore. But she couldn’t bea^ 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 99 

a quiet life ; so, slipping on seaman’s clothes again, she 
shipped aboard another frigate, but, of course, she had 
to go before the mast. That made little difference to 
her ; she loved the sea for itself, and didn’t care where 
she was. For some time she got on very well ; but she 
didn’t always remember that she was no longer a first 
lieutenant — which was natural, poor thing! Well, one 
day, when off the coast of America, she quarrelled with 
the man who was first lieutenant, and meeting him on 
shore, she put a pistol into his hand, and told him he 
must fight her. He was a spirited fellow, and said that 
he never refused that sort of invitation, and as it was in 
the chief street of a large city, they had plenty of sec- 
onds. Well, they fought, and she had the misfortune to 
shoot him through the heart. Most men would have 
died immediately, but he lived long enough to forgive 
her for what she’d done, and to say what a fine fellow 
he thought her. Of course, as it’s against the articles 
of war to shoot a first lieutenant, she couldn’t go aboard 
the frigate again ; and when a file of marines came to 
seize her, the people of the place carried her offj and 
wouldn’t give her up, and so the jollies had to return 
without her. Two parties were formed in the place. 
One said she ought to be given up, and the other, that 
she ought’nt, and shouldn’t, and that they wouldn’t. It 
was one of the secret causes of the American revo- 
lution. 

“Among those who sided with her was a Captain 
Johnson, a very fine man, master of a very fine ship, 
and as he happened to want a mate, he asked my 
mother if she would take the berth, not dreaming all 


lOO MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


the time that she was a woman. They had a good deal 
of talk about the matter, and as she had taken a fancy 
to him, she told him all her history. I have said that 
my father was a fine man. He was the tallest and 
smartest man I ever saw, and had the loudest voice, too, 
T believe you, or he wouldn’t have won the heart of 
my mother. She wasn’t a woman to knock under to an 
ordinary, every-day sort of man. He was so tall, that the 
barber had to stand on the table to shave him, and as 
he walked along the streets, he could hand sugar-plums 
to the children in the upper windows; and his voice was 
so loud, that he once made a stone-deaf woman jump 
off her chair, right up to the ceiling with fright, when 
he raised it above the ordinary pitch to speak to her ; 
and he was so strong, that he made nothing of lifting 
an ale cask up to his lips, and drinking out of the bung- 
hole. He was the man to command a ship’s company ! 
When he found any two of them quarrelling, he would 
lift one up in each hand, with outstretched arms, and 
he would then knock their two heads together, and go 
on bumping harder and harder till they promised to be 
friends. 

“ No two people could have been better matched than 
my parents, and they had a sincere respect for each 
other. They were above any thing like a namby-pam- 
by, soft sighing, do-sweetest, kiss-me style of love. My 
father made his offer from the deck of his ship, as she 
was standing out of harbor, and my mother answered 
him from the shore through a speaking-trumpet. The 
truth was, that when the owners heard that she was a 
woman, tliey didn’t approve of her going as mate ; they 
thought that it would invalidate the insurance. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 10 1 

The wind fell outside, so he dropped anchor and 
pulled on shore, and was married, and, of course, off 
she went to sea with him. A very useful wife, too, she 
made, for though she didn’t wear the breeches, she 
could take the command of the ship better than any 
one else on board. Thus it was that I came to be born 
at sea. There was a terrific gale blowing, and the ship 
was running under bare poles during the time that im 
portant event in the world’s history occurred. 

“ ‘ The wind it whistled, the porpoise roll’d, 

The dolphins rear’d then’ backs of gold ; 

And iiever was heard such an outcry mid ' 

As welcoraed to life the ocean-child.’ 

I believe you, my hearties, that was a gale! I don’t 
believe the sea ever ran so high before, nor has ever 
run so high since. We were fully half an hour going 
up the side of one sea, and nearly a quarter sliding 
down into the trough on the other — so I have been 
told : I cannot say that I remember the circumstance, 
though I do recollect things which happened a long 
time ago. 

“ I was a precocious child, let me tell you. I had 
as fine a set of teeth as ever cracked biscuit by the 
time I was six months old, and lived upon lobscouso 
and porter. I was weaned by that time, and I wasn’t 
two years old when I could go aloft like a monkey. 
It wouldn’t have done for me to have been like any 
every-day sort of baby.” 

I was almost inclined to believe Mr. Johnson’s as- 
sertions, for, as I looked at the huge red-nosed man 


l02 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN 

before me, I could scarcely persuade myself that he 
had ever been a baby in long clothes. 

“ Speaking of monkeys,” continued Mr. Johnson, 
jv^inking his eye, “ I once had a desperate fight with 
me, when I wasn’t much more than three years old. 
[ was sitting on the main-truck, with my legs dangling 
iown, as was my custom when I wanted a good allow- 
ince of fresh air. We had a monkey aboard, — a 
•nischievous chap, — and when he saw me, be swarmed 
ip the mast, and, putting up his paw, snatched a biscuit 
out of my jacket-pocket. I gave him a slap on the 
head, and in return he bit my leg, and tried to pull 
me down. To be even with him, I jumped on his 
shoulders, and down we slipped together, till we reached 
the topmast crosstrees. There I got a rope, and lashing 
him to the heel of the top-gallant-mast, sung out to the 
hands in the top that they might see what I had done. 
You may be sure that they were very much aston- 
ished. 

“ I was a great favorite among the crew, and ran no 
slight chance of being spoilt. I could dance a horn- 
pipe with any man on board; and as for singing a 
rollicking sea-song, there were few who could match 
me. I soon learned to hand reef, steer, and heave the 
lead, as well as any man on board. My mother was 
proud of me, and so was my father ; and they had reason 
to be, and that’s the truth. 

“ At last it struck them that they ought to give me 
some education, to fit me to become an officer and a 
gentleman. I, however, was not fond of books, but 1 
learned to read chiefly from the signboards over the 


MEKRr, THE MIDSHIPMAN. lOtJ 

shop fronts along the quays at the different ports to 
which we traded. Not that I required much instruc- 
tion, for I picked up knowledge faster than most people 
could serve it out to me. 

“ I was one morning sent on shore to school, but the 
master thinking fit to cane me, I tucked him up under 
my arm, and walked off with him on board the ship, 
where I stowed him under hatches, and kept him there 
till he promised to treat me in future with more re- 
spect. After this little occurrence we were very good 
friends ; but when the ship went to sea, he begged that 
I might on no account be left behind. That was but 
natural, for I hadn’t got into shore ways exactly.” 

The cry, from the deck, of “ All hands make sail ! ” 
interrupted Mr. Johnson’s veracious narrative. 

“ A chase in sight,” he exclaimed ; “ and a prize 
she’ll prove, though we have to fight for her ! ” 


J04 MAliMADUKE MEKKY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


CHAPTER V. 

Every officer, man, and boy, not otherwise especially' 
engaged, had their eyes directed ahead, watching the 
chase, as her sails gradually rose above the horizon. 
What she was had not yet been ascertained. She might 
be a man-of-war, or, perhaps, only a merchantman. If 
the first, we hoped she would fight ; if the latter, that 
she might carry a rich freight. After a time, I saw Mr. 
Johnson rubbing his eyes, and, suddenly bringing his 
hand down on his thigh with a loud smack, he ex- 
claimed, — 

“ She’s only a Yankee merchantman, after all.” 

The stranger was evidently making no attempt at 
escape ; indeed, before long, she lost the wind altogether, 
though we carried it on till we got within about a mile 
of her. We then found that the boatswain was right; 
indeed, it is easy to know an American merchantman 
by her light-colored hull, breadth of beam, low masts, 
square yards, and white canvas. 

As we lay rolling away, a boat was lowered from the 
stranger, from whose peak the stars and stripes hung 
down, so that none but a practical eye could have made 
out the flag. 

The boat came alongside, and a gentleman, in a broad- 
brimmed straw hat and jean jacket, stepped on board, 
with a cigar in his mouth, and walking aft with the 
greatest coolness, put out his hand to Captain Collyer, 


MARMADUKE :\IEURY, THE MIDSIIITMAN. 


105 


who, looking true dignity itself, was standing on the 
quarter-deck, with his officers round him. Not a little 
electrified was he by the address now made him. 

“ How goes it with you, skipper? ” quoth the stranger, 
almost wringing his hand off. “ You’ve a neat little 
craft under your feet, I guess, but we’ve got some who’d 
wallop her in pretty smart time. You’d like to know 
who I am ? I’m Captain Nathan Noakes ; I command 
tliat ship there, the Hickory Stick, and I should like to 
see her equal. She’s the craft to go, let me tell you. 
When the breeze comes. I’ll soon show you the pair of 
heels she’s got. We’ll run away from you like greased 
lightning, I guess.” 

“ She looks like a fine vessel, sir,” said Captain Coll- 
yer, too polite to turn away, as some men I have known 
might have done. 

“ She is sir,” said the American master with emphasis. 
“ I calculate she’d sail twice round the world while you 
was going once ; but don’t rile, now, at what I say, — 
you can’t help it, you know. Come, tal^e a cigar, — ■ 
they’re real Havana.” 

“ Thank you, sir, I do not smoke,” said our captain 
Avitli naturally increasing stiffness, “ nor is it customary, 
I must observe, for any one to do so on the quarter- 
deck of one of his Britannic Majesty’s ships.” 

“ Ah ! that’s the difference between slavery and 
freedom,” answered the stranger, with most amusing 
effrontery, lighting another cigar as he spoke. “ You 
serve the tyrant King George. I serve myself, and no 
one else, and I like my master best of the two ; but J 
pity you, — you can’t help it.” 


l06 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

Some of the officers were very indignant at the im- 
pudence of the Yankee captain ; others were highly 
amused, and I believe Captain Collyer was, for he turned 
away at last to hide his laughter. Nothing, however 
seemed to abash the skipper. 

“Well, you Britishers will be inclined to deal, I 
guess,” he Observed ; and, without waiting for an an- 
swer, ordered the people in his boat to send up some 
cases of claret and boxes of oranges which he had 
brought. A whip was sent down, and they were soon 
had on deck, and I must say we were not sorry to make 
a deal with him — that is to say, the captain and gun- 
room officers took the claret, and the midshipmen the 
oranges. 

“ Well, I guess you’ve got them dirt cheap,” observed 
the Yankee skipper, as he pocketed the money. “ But 
mind now I don’t warrant them all sound.” 

Had he made the remark before we bought them, we 
might have thanked him for his honesty. On opening 
the cases we found that more than one half were rotten, 
and that the rest would not keep many days. That, of 
course, was the reason he had sold them. 

He finished his cigar while he went on talking much 
in the same strain as he had done at first, and then 
coolly proposed inspecting the ship. As there was no 
objection to his so doing, he was allowed to go round 
the decks, when he might have counted thirty -six guns, 
and as fine a looking crew as ever stepped the deck of 
a man-of-war. At length Captain Nathan Noakes re- 
turned on board the Hickory Stick. Afterwards, when 
I repeated to the boatswain the remarks of Captam 
Noakes, his observation was, — 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 107 


“ I cannot stand those Yankees — they do exaggerate 
so terribly. One cannot depend on a word they say.” 

I made no reply, for it struck me that Mr. Johnson 
himself did at times, as he would have said, rather over- 
state facts. I made the remark to Perisal. 

“ Well, boy, the boatswain is like most of us,” he an- 
swered ; “ we don’t see our own faults. I suspect no 
man would be more ready than he would to grow angry 
should his veracity be called in question.” 

“ But those stories of his own adventures are very 
amusing,” said I. 

“Very,” said Perigal. “And as long as he confines 
himself to them no great harm is done ; but if a man 
once gets into the habit of departing from the truth for 
the sake of amusing his hearers, he may not stop there, 
and will, very likely, tell a falsehood of a different char- 
acter whenever it may suit his convenience to do so.” 

The sun when setting indicated fine weather. During 
the night there was a light breeze, scarcely suflScient to 
send our heavy frigate through the water. When day 
dawned, however, our Yankee friend, we discovered, 
had managed to slip away, and was hull down to the 
southwest. , 

In the same direction another ship was seen, with 
which it was considered probable that the Yankee had 
communicated. The stranger looked suspicious — a 
heavy ship — and certainly a man-of-war. All hands, 
in consequence, set to work to whistle for a breeze, and 
to our infinite satisfaction it came very soon, confirming 
most on board in their belief as to the eflScacy of the 
operation. Sail was then made, and we steered for the 


108 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN, 

Stranger. She was soon pronounced to be a poweri'ul 
frigate, a worthy match for the Doris, and so with light 
hearts we cleared for action, not doubting that we should 
take her, whatever her size or the number of her guns. 
Our only fear was that she might run away. To pre- 
vent this, our captain, who was up to all sorts of tricks 
to deceive an enemy, had arranged a mode of disguising 
the ship. By means of some black painted canvas let 
down over the main deck ports, she was made to look 
like a corvette, or flush-decked vessel. Captain Collyer, 
we heard, had before taken in and taken several vessels 
in this way, and we hoped now to be as fortunate. 

At an earlier hour than usual we piped to breakfast, 
that we might not fight on empty stomachs, and I may 
safely say that the prospect of a fierce contest damped 
no one’s appetite. For my own part I never made a 
better meal in my life. 1 hurried, however, very soon 
again on deck, spy-glass in hand. Looking through it, 
there was no longer any doubt as to the character of the 
stranger. There she lay, standing under easy sail, and 
evidently waiting our approach. Just as I got on deck 
she fired a gun to windward, and the French ensign flew 
out from her peak. 

As we drew nearer we could count twenty-two ports 
on a side. She thus carried many more guns than we 
did, and had probably a much larger crew. These odds 
were highly satisfactory. We liad no fear about the 
issue of the combat ; our only dread was that she might 
escape us. Our captain determined to do his best to 
prevent this. He was not a man given to make long 
speeches, but as soon as every thing was ready for battle 
he called the men on deck. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 10^ 

“ My lads,” he said, “ there’s a ship somewhat bigger 
than we are, and may-be there are more men on board ; 
but they’re only Frenchmen. You can take her if you 
try, and I know you will. I intend to engage her to 
leeward, that she may not escape us. You’ll do your 
duty like British seamen, and that’s all I want of you.” 

This pithy speech was received with three hearty 
cheers, a good prognostic of victory. 

The determination of the captain to engage a more 
powerful antagonist to leeward was very brave, for it 
was the least advantageous position for fighting. The 
reason of the Frenchman’s boldness in waiting for us 
was clearly that he supposed the Doris to be much 
smaller than she really was. But then how was it 
that the Yankee skipper should not have told him the 
truth ? They had certainly communicated. We had 
only just before seen his royals dipping beneath the 
horizon. However, we hadn’t time to think of that or 
any thing else, before a shot from the enemy came 
whistling through our sails. Several followed in rapid 
succession. We were keeping away so as to cross her 
stern, and rake her with a broadside, and then to haul 
up again on her beam. To avoid this she also kept 
way, and began to pepper us rather more than was 
pleasant. Her captain had clearly determined that we 
should not get to leeward. 

“ She must have it as she wishes,” cried Captain 
Collyer. “ Give it her, my lads.” 

At that moment the canvas which which had con- 
cealed our main deck guns was triced up, and in right 
g)od earnest we poured our whole broadside into our 
10 


110 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

opponent. The unexpected salute must have staggered 
her, and now she too hauled up, and, discovering that 
she had not got a baby to play with, applied herself in 
earnest to the combat, and we ran on blazing away at 
each other nearly yard-arm to yard-arm. 

“ This is what I like,” exclaimed Mr. Johnson, rul>- 
bing his hands. “ This is a good honest stand-up tight ; 
we know what the enemy’s about, and he knows what 
we are about, and I shall be very much surprised if he 
does not find out before long that we are giving him a 
tremendous good licking.” 

I would not quite agree with the boatswain, for the 
enemy’s shot was crashing about us with terrific effect. 
The French frigate also sailed much faster than we did, 
and soon shot ahead of us ; and still further to prevent 
us from attaining our object, she wore round and came 
to on the other tack, giving us a fresh broadside as she 
did so. The manoeuvre succeeded so well, that it was 
repeated again and again. This enraged our crew, 
several of whom were struck down ; the wounded were 
at once carried below, the dead were drawn out of the 
way ; they were not yet numerous enough to throw 
overboard. I looked to see how my particular friends 
were getting on. George Gray had a division of guns 
under him, and was behaving like the young hero he 
was. Toby Bluff was busily employed in bringing up 
powder, and looking as totally unconcerned about every 
thing else, as if his was the most important work to be 
done. Having brought up his tub, he sat himself down 
on it, determined that not a spark should get in if he 
could help it. In like manner the captain was doing 


MARMADUKF: merry, the MIDSniPAIAN. Ill 

his duty to the best of his power, and so was every 
officer and man in the ship. Mr. Lukyn, the first 
lieutenant, had chosen me to act as his aide-de-camp, to 
carry orders that he might have to send to any part of 
the ship ; in that way I was kept constantly moving 
about, and it appeared to me that I escaped many shots 
which might otherwise have hit me. Once a shot 
knocked some hammocks out of the hammock nettings, 
and grazed the mainmast just as I had passed it, and 
another took off the head of the boatswain’s mate, just 
as he was raising his hand to signify that he under- 
stood an order I had given him. I consequently walked 
on till I met the boatswain, and delivered the order to 
him that he might see it executed. 

“This will never do, Lukyn,” I heard the captain 
say. “We must get alongside her again.” The sails 
were accordingly trimmed, and we ran right down on 
the enemy, pouring into her as we did a fire of round 
shot, grape, and musketry ; but, I must own, getting as 
much in return, and having our rigging terribly cut 
about. The French ship had at the time little way on 
her, and so we shot ahead ; both of us, after exchanging 
a couple of broadsides, falling off before the wind. We 
had now separated considerably. The hands were sent 
aloft to knot and splice the rigging, to enable us to 
work the ship, which we otherwise could not dc 
While we were thus employed, tlie French frigate 
hauled up, and, passing our stern diagonally, raked us, 
but at too great a distance to do us much damage. 
Every officer and man was exerting himself to renew 
the fight, when once more the French ship bore up, 


Jl2 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSIIIRMAN. 

and showed that she was going again to pass under 
our stern. 

“ Down with your faces on the deck all of you, my 
lads,” shouted the captain, the order being repeated by 
the othe^ officers. I observed, however, that both he 
and Mr. Lukyn stood upright. The expected shower 
came, the enemy passing witliin pistol shot. I looked 
up anxiously to ascertain if either of my superiors was 
hurt. There they stood as calm as before, but Mr. 
Lukyn’s hat had been knocked off, and two bullets 
had passed through the sleeve of his coat. 

“ That was a narrow shave,” observed the captain as 
Mr. Lukyn stooped down and picked up his hat. Had 
the men been standing up, great numbers, probably, 
would have been killed or wounded. The enemy after 
this hauled up on the larboard tack, and was about to 
pour her starboard broadside into us, when, our crew 
springing to their feet, our sails were thrown aback, and 
the French frigate’s larboard bow came directly on to 
our starboard quarter. As she did so, the boatswain 
with his mates sprang aft, and in a moment it seemed 
that the enemy’s bowsprit, or rather jib-boom, was 
lashed to our mizen-rigging, in spite of a heavy rattling 
fire of musketry, kept up on them by the French marines 
on their forecastle. A body of our marines came aft 
to reply to them, and numbers were dropping on both 
sides. While this was going forward, I saw a French 
officer walking along the bowsprit with a musket in his 
hand. He rested it on the stay, and was taking a 
deliberate aim at Captain Collyer, who stood, not observ- 
ing this, encouraging the men to work the after guns 


marmaduke merry, the midshipman. 113 

At that instant a marine who had just loaded his musket 
was shot dead. I seized it as he fell, and in the impulse 
ot the moment, dropping on my knee, raised it to my 
shoulder and fired at the Frenchman on the bowsprit 
who at the same time fired. A ball passed through the 
captain’s hat — he turned his head and observed that 
I had just fired, and saw also the Frenchman falling 
headlong into the water. 

“ Thank you, Mr. Merry, you have saved my life,” 
he said, turning a look of approval on me ; but there 
was no time for more. Every thing I have described 
passed like a flash of lightning. All was now smoke 
and noise, the men straining at the gun tackles, spong- 
ing and loading ; the marines firing and stooping down, 
as they had been ordered, to load, to avoid the bullets 
of the French marines who were so much above them. 
Meantime the Frenchmen had been mustering on deck, 
and suddenly appearing on their forecastle, they rushed 
along the bowsprit and were leaping down on our 
hammock nettings, the headmost reaching the deck. 

“ Boarders repel boarders ! ” shouted Mr. Bryan ; 
and he with one or two mates, followed by Jonathan 
Johnson, with his doughty cutlass, hurried aft to meet 
them. What had become of the captain and Mr. Lukyn 
I could not tell. Fierce was the encounter, for the 
French seamen fought desperately, and their marines 
kept blazing away faster than ever. Mr. Bryan and 
the French officer leading the boarders met, — their 
blades flashed rapidly for a few seconds, and the French- 
man fell mortally wounded. Mr. Johnson was in his 
glory ; the first time he led on his followers, however 
10 * 


114 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIRMAN. 


the Frenchmen withstood him for some seconds, and 
more of them pouring down on the deck, he was driven 
back a foot or two, but it was only for a moment. With 
a loud shout, he made a furious dash at the boarders : 
Mr. Bryan, with several mates and midshipmen, of 
whom I was one, seconded by our gallant purser, who 
with a brace of pistols in his belt and a sharp cutlass in 
his hand, instead of remaining below, had come on deck 
to share the danger and aid in the fight ; and of the 
whole number of the enemy who had reached the deck 
of the Doris, not one quarter escaped on board their 
own ship unwounded, and very nearly half were killed 
outright, or were taken prisoners. We, however, did 
not get off scathless. The enemy still continued to 
annoy us with their foremost guns ; while the shot from 
their muskets rattled thickly round our heads, our main 
royal-mast and main-topsail yard had been shot away, 
and the gaflf was sO severely wounded, that when the 
Frenchman fell aboard us, it dropped over his deck. 
At this moment we saw some of the crew tear our 
ensign from the gaff and carry it aft as a trophy : there 
was not a man in our ship who would not have gladly 
rushed aboard the enemy to recover it. 

“ It will never do to be without a flag,” said I to 
Gray. “ I propose we go aloft and nail a couple to the 
mast.” 

“ With' all my heart,” he answered ; and he getting a 
boat’s ensign and I a union-jack from the signal locker 
we ran aloft with them before any one saw what we 
were about. We agreed, however, that they would look 
best at each end of the cross-jack, and accordingly, 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 114 


as lightning, we lashed them there. The French- 
' ,ight certainly have picked us off, but as many of 
ation have much chivalry in their composition, 
hey saw that we were young midshipmen, and 
j were about, I suspect, refrained from firing. At 
ts, we accomplished our dangerous exploit, and 
returned on deck. Scarcely had we reached it, and 
stood amid the shower of bullets whistling along it, than 
to my great sorrow, I saw Gray fall ; he uttered no 
cry ; I ran toward him to lift him up ; he said that he 
was not badly hurt, but he fainted, and Mr. Bryan 
ordered him at once to be carried below. Directly 
afterwards Mr. Bryan fell ; he, however, raised himself 
on his arm, and with the help of two seamen, in a short 
time stood up, and refused to leave the deck. Mr. 
Collman, our brave purser, tried to persuade him to go 
below. 

“ Let the surgeon look to you, and if he thinks you 
are fit you can return.” 

“ No, no ; thank you, Collman,” he answered. “ I 
don’t know what may happen while I’m away. Time 
enough to go to the doctor when we’ve thrashed tlie 
Frenchman.” 

It was my duty, as I said, to stay by the first lieuten- 
ant. I was inquiring for him, when I saw a number of 
the French marines peppering away at the after ports 
in the captain’s cabin. I instantly bethought me that the 
captain and Mr. Lukyn must be there, and accordingly 
hurried to the main deck. 

Our captain had, without asking leave of the dock 
yard authorities, cut two ports in his cabin on each side 


116 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

next the quarter, in readiness for the very contingeney 
which had now occurred. Our carpenter had, however, 
stupidly forgotten to drive in ring bolts to work the guns, 
while the gunner had not prepared tackles of sufficient 
length to haul the aftermost gun from the side to the 
new ports. 

When I reached the cabin, the captain and first and 
third lieutenants, and the gunner and carpenter, and 
other officers and men, were working away to find 
means to train aft a gun. The marines, however, sta- 
tioned along the larboard gangway of the enemy had 
found them out, and as I reached the cabin it seemed 
as if a hailstorm was playing into it, and the bulkheads 
were literally riddled with bullets. Several men lay 
dead about the decks, and every now and then another 
sank down wounded, while many were laboring away 
with the blood flowing from their sides or limbs. I 
ran in and asked Mr. Lukyn if he wanted me. 

“ No, no, Merry ; go out of this, boy,” he answered 
kindly. 

At that time it was certainly the part of the ship suf- 
fering most. As I was going out I passed Mr. Down- 
ton, our third lieutenant. He was reeving a rope 
through a block to form a tackle, when a shot struck him 
in the head. He fell forward in the way of the gun. 
He was dragged unceremoniously out of it by the legs, 
and the men cheered as they hauled it aft. I ran to help 
poor Mr. Downton. I lifted him up. He gave a look so 
full of pain and woe in my face that I would gladly have 
shut it out, and then with a deep sigh breatlied his last. I 
never felt so sad before. He was a good kind officer, and 


MAllMADUKE MERRY, THE M 1 1) S II H\MAN. 117 

I liked him very much. I now, I own, began to think 
that we were getting the worst of it, and should have 
to strike our colors, or go down with them flying. Just 
then the gun, double-shotted, was run out aft, and fired 
right into the enemy’s bows. Our men’s cheers scarcely 
drowned the shrieks and cries which followed from the 
French ship. Again the gun was loaded and fired with 
the same terrific effect. The French marines contin- 
ued blazing away at the people in the cabin, but were 
at length driven from the gangway by the hot fire of our 
jollies and small-armed men. The latter had also to di- 
rect their attention to a carronade which the enemy had 
got on his forecastle, and which might have done us a 
vast deal of mishief, but such a shower of musket balls 
whistled round it the instant a Frenchman got near, that 
none would venture to work it. 

As Mr. Lukyn had ordered me out of the cabin when 
I found that I could be of no use to Mr. Downton, I 
went on deck again. The bullets were whistling along 
the deck as thick as hailstone. This sort of work would 
have continued probably till we had treated each other 
like the Kilkenny cats, or till the French ship had given 
in, when her jib-boom gave way, and she forged ahead. 
As she did so, our next aftermost gun was manned and 
fired, cutting away her head-rails, and, what was of 
greater consequence, the gammoning of her bow'sprit. 

“ Plurrah, lads ! the day’s ours,” shouted Mr. Coll 
man ; “ over to the starboard guns.” 

The master was on the main-deck with the captain. 

“ Now' the battle’s going to begin in earnest, Mr 
Merry,” observed the boatsw'ain, near whom I found 
myself. 


118 MAUMADtJKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

Thought I to myself, “ It has been going on in pretty 
serious earnest for the last two hours or more.” 

Now both frigates, running on yard-arm to yard-arm, 
fired their guns in succession as they could be brought 
to bear ; but our people, from constant practice, tossed 
our guns in and out twice as rapidly as the Frenchmen. 
This soon told; the enemy’s main-topmast was shot 
away, the foremast was badly wounded, several of her 
{)orts were knocked into one, and instead of the cloud 
of canvas which lately swelled proudly to the breeze, 
her sails were riddled, and, with rope ends, hung useless 
from every shattered yard. In some respects we were 
not much better oflf, and our rigging was so cut about, 
that the ship was no longer manageable. Taking ad' 
v antage of her greater speed, our antagonist drew ahead 
till she got out of gunshot, greatly to the rage and an- 
noyance of the crew, who bestowed on her three loud 
groans, and many an anathema on finding that she had 
escaped them. 

It now came on calm, and she could not get far otf. 
Not a moment, however, was lost before all hands were 
set to work to repair damages ; never was rigging more 
rapidly knotted and spliced. My eye was seldom off 
our enemy. A slight breeze had again sprung up, when 
suddenly I saw her foremast rock, it seemed, and over 
it went with a crash, carrying a number of her crew on 
it into the water. A loud cheer burst from our men, as 
they saw what had occurred, and they redoubled their 
efforts to get the Doris ready to renew the action. By 
noon we had knotted and spliced all the standing rig- 
ging, rove new braces, and had got the ship under per* 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 119 

feet command, while the freshening breeze carried m 
rapidly up toward our opponent. 

The heat of the sun and our exertions made us feel 
very hot, and now the Yankee’s oranges came into requi- 
sition. Both midshipmen and men might be seen suck- 
ing them heartily, as we once more stood into action. 
The enemy seemed still disposed to defend himself as 
we stood across his stern, so that he could bring no 
guns to bear on us. He, however, trusting to the effect 
his large body of marines might produce, fired a rat- 
tling volley as we were about to pour in our broadside* 
Spellman and I were at the moment standing near the 
boatswain. As the French marines fired, I felt a sharp 
burning pang in my shoulder, which made me jump on 
one side, while I saw Spellman’s orange flying away, 
and putting up both his hands as he cried out, “ Oh, my 
orange ! my orange ! and they have riddled my cheeks, 
the blackguards.” 

I could not help laughing at his exclamation and face 
of astonishment, in spite of the sickness which was 
creeping over me. 

“ It’s lucky it was not through your head, Mr. Spell- 
man,” observed the boatswain, picking up the orange 
and handing it to him, but he was in no way inclined to 
suck it, for his mouth was full of blood, which he began 
vehemently spluttering out over the deck. 

Now our frigate sent forth a roaring broadside ; the 
enemy’s ship was for an instant shrouded in smoke. As 
it cleared away, down came the French ensign, and an 
oflScer was seen to spring on to the taffrail, and with the 
politest of bowsj signified that they had struck Loud 


120 MAllMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

hearty cheers was the answer returned by our brave 
fellows, who by sheer hard fighting and rapid working 
of their guns, had achieved, in little more tliaii three 
hours, a victory over a foe so vastly superior. Those 
cheers, though pleasant sounds to our ears, must have 
been very much the contrary to our enemies. 

Then, and not till then, did Mr. Bryan consent to be 
carried below. I have no personal knowledge of what 
happened after this, for even before the cheering had 
ceased, I should have sunk fainting on the deck, had 
not the boatswain caught me. When I came to myself, 
I was undressed in my hammock, and, except a pain 
and stiffness in my shoulder, there was nothing, I 
thought, very much the matter with me, though when I 
tried to rise I found that to do so was out of the ques- 
tion. Spellman and Gray were in their hammocks, 
close to me. Though Spellman was least seriously 
hurt of either of us, his appearance, from having his 
head bound up with two huge plasters over his cheeks 
was by far the most lugubrious, as he sat up and looked 
first at Gray, and then at me, and said, “ Well, I hope 
you like it.” 

“ Thank you. Miss Susan,” said I. “ We might be 
worse off, but we shan’t have to go whistling through 
the world in future as you will, and if ever you fall in- 
to the hands of savages they’ll put a rope through your 
cheeks and drag you along like a tame bear.” 

“ You don’t think so. Merry, I’m sure,” he answered, 
\n a tone of alarm, which showed that he vividly pic- 
tured the possibility of such an occurrence ; “ do you, 


MAKMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAJ«. 121 

Poor Gray was too weak to say much, but he gave 
Spellman very little encouragement to hope for the 
best, and when Macquoid visited us, entering into the 
joke, he said nothing to remove his apprehensions. 

My chief anxiety was now about Toby Bluff, and I 
was very glad to find that he had not been hurt. At 
last, when he came to me, I had some difficulty in quiet- 
ing his apprehensions, and in persuading him that it 
w^as a very fine thing to be wounded, and that I should 
have lots of honor and glory, and be made more of 
when I got home than I had ever been before in my 
life, and that he would share in it without having had 
the disagreeable ceremony to go through of being 
wounded. 

“ As to the glory, and all that sort of thing. I’d i\s 
lief have let it alone, if it was to cost a bullet through 
me, Muster Merry,” he answered. “ But I’d have been 
main glad if the mounseei-s had just shot me instead of 
you. It wouldn’t have done me no harm to matter.” 

“ He is a faithful fellow, certainly,” I thought, “ but 
he has no chivalry in his composition.” 

From the jabbering we heard around us, we found 
that the French prisoners had been brought on board, 
and Macquoid told us that every man who could be 
spared was employed in repairing the prize. Mr. Lukyn 
had gone to take command of her, with Perigal as his 
second in command, and I was very glad to find that 
the old mate was unhurt. 

Our prize was the Aigle. She carried six guns more 
than we had, and they were of heavier calibre. She 
was nearly three hundred tons larger, and her crew 
11 


122 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

numbered a hundred men more than we had. We had 
beaten her because our men were better gunners, and 
had fired half as rapidly again as had her crew. We 
had lost fourteen killed and thirty wounded, and she 
thirty-four killed and sixty wounded. 

“ Ah ! young gentlemen,” said Mr. Johnson, who in 
the intervals of his labor paid us a visit, “it was as 
pretty a stand-up fight and as well won a battle as I 
ever heard of, or you’ll ever see probably.” 

At length both frigates were refitted, and, as we un- 
derstood, steering a course for old England. We three 
midshipmen found it rather dull work staying in our 
hammocks all day, as it was too dark to read, though 
we managed to sleep, as only midshipmen can sleep, 
and we agreed that we would get the boatswain, when 
he had leisure, to come and sit by us to go on with his 
history. We succeeded, and, seated on a bucket, he 
began : 

“ Well, young gentlemen, flesh and blood wants some 
rest, though I can do more than most men in the way 
of work, and instead of taking a doze in my cabin I’ll in- 
dulge you, and the service shall not suffer. Ah, ah ! 
let me see, — I was telling you of my childhood. I 
very soon grew up. I didn’t take long to do that. By 
the time I was fifteen I knew a thing or two, and there 
wasn’t a seaman aboard my father’s ship who could beat 
me at any thing.” 

“ At pulling the long bow especially,” said a deep 
voice from one of the hammocks. 

“ Who spoke ? ” inquired Mr. Johnson, turning round 
sharply. “ I’ll tell you what, whoever you are, a man 


MAIIM 4.1 


RY. THE MIDSHIPMAN. 123 


may shoot with a long bow, or a man may shoot with a 
short bow ; but for my part I say a man has a right to 
use the weapon which suits him best ; and so, Mr. Bow- 
wo-wo, just bowse taut that jaw-tackle of yours, and 
don’t let’s hear any more of your pertinent remarks. I’ll 
thank ye, my bo.” Mr. Johnson then continued, — At 
last, said my father one day to me, — ‘ Jonathan, you 
are big enough and strong enough to go without leading 
strings, and the sooner a lad does that the better.’ 

“ ‘ Yes, father, I am,’ said I, and I was, for I was six 
feet two inches high, and could knock over an ox with 
my fist, as I’d done many a time to save the butcher 
trouble. 

‘‘ ‘ You must look out for a ship, my son,’ said my 
father. 

‘‘ ‘ I will, said I, and I did. I shipped on board a 
Greenland whaler, the Blazylight, and sailed the next 
day for the North Pole. We had a fine run to our 
fishing-ground, and soon began to kill our whales at a 
great rate. It was the sort of sport which just suited 
me. I never could stand angling for minnows ; but 
whale-fishing is a very different sort of work, I guess. 

“ We had got a full ship, and were thinking of turn- 
ing south, when we were becalmed near the land, and 
as the ship could not move, I, with four or five more, 
started on an expedition to shoot polar bears, which 
were pretty common thereabouts. We had got a good 
way from the ship, when a thick fog — not an unfre- 
quent visitor to those parts — came on. I had a pocket- 
compass with me, and so I wasn’t a bit alarmed. How- 
ever, when we tried to find the old Blazylight again. I 


124 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

must confess we could not. We wandered about till all 
my companions died from sheer fright and fatigue ; and 
I should have died, too, if I had given in ; but I wouldn’t 
do that ; so I collected all my shipmates’ ammunition, 
and set to work to kill and pot bears. I lived like a 
prince, as far as quantity was concerned, but I got 
rather tired of bear’s flesh at last. I rubbed myself 
over with the grease, and was soon covered from head 
to foot with a hide of the finest wool, so that I didn’t 
feel the cold a bit. It was cold, however, at times, 
with a vengeance. Frequently the frost was so severe, 
that it froze up even the very air, and if I had not 
melted it every now and then, by firing off my gun, I 
should have died for want of breath ; and often it wasn’t 
possible to move without cutting a way for myself 
through the atmosphere with my axe. I suspected, as 
I afterwards found to be the case, that what we had 
taken to be land, was in reality an unusually large field 
of ice, with icebergs imbedded in it, and that we had 
been carried by some unknown current imperceptibly 
toward the north for a considerable distance. Now, 
when we had left the ship, we had kept to the west- 
ward. When we wished to return, we had steered east 
by the pocket-compass I told you of On, and on, and 
on, I kept on the same course. What do you think I 
was doing? Why I was walking round and round the 
north pole, and should have kept on walking till now, 
for nothing would have made me give in — I promise 
you that wasn’t my way — had I not come upon the 
print of my own footsteps in the snow. This made me 
aware of my error ; so I sat down to consider how it 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


125 


could have happened, and at last the truth flashed on 
my mind. You see it was a very natural mistake 1 had 
made, for the needle of my compass was all the time 
pointing to the north pole, just as a capstan-bar does to 
the capstan, while I was running round at the other end 
of it. I was rather puzzled to know what to do, for 
had I walked south, not having the means of ascertain- 
ing my longitude, 1 might, 1 thought, And myself on the 
other side of the globe, somewhere, perhaps, near 
Behring’s Straits, leading into the Sea of Kamtschatka, 
where there would be little chance of my falling in with 
a ship. 

“ I had sat cogitating for some time, and was begin- 
ning to get rather chilly, when it occurred to me that 1 
might render a great service to science by going chock 
up to the north pole, and ascertaining of what it is com- 
posed. I instantly rose from my seat, put my compass 
down to strike the course I was to take, tired oft’ my gun 
to clear myself a path through the frozen atmosphere, 
secured my stock of bear’s flesh on my back for provi 
sions, and manfully set forward, with my face away from 
all human beings.” 

“ But how could you see, Mr. Johnson ? ” asked Gray. 
“ I always thought it was dark in those regions during 
winter ! ” 

“ See ! why perfectly well,” answered the boatswain, 
promptly. “ If the stars and moon happened not to be 
shining, there was always the aurora borealis blazing up, 
like a great fire, right ahead of me. You have seen the 
northern lights on a winter’s night, but they are a very 
difterent affair up there to what they appear so far 
11 * 


126 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSfilPMAN. 

south. If it wasn’t for them, in my opinion, there would 
be no living in those regions ; but by their warmth they 
keep the atmosphere round them in a very pleasant 
state. Well, on 1 walked, sleeping at night in the huts 
I made in the snow, leaving a small hole open to breathe 
through ; and it was not disagreeably cold, owing to the 
warm whiffs which came every now and then from the 
pole. 

“ After progressing thus for several days, I observed 
an extraordinary phenomenon. Whenever I took my 
compass out in my hand, I felt that the instrument had 
a tendency to move directly before me. This tendency 
increased gradually as I proceeded, till, one morning, 
when I put it down as usual to mark my course before 
starting, to my infinite surprise, and I may say dismay, 
away it glided over the snow, increasing in rapidity of 
motion as it proceeded. 

“ Horrified at the reflection of what might be the 
consequence should I lose it, I rushed forward, and, in 
my eagerness to grasp my treasure, fell prostrate on my 
face, just, happily, as my fingers clutched it. 

“ This wonderful occurrence (for I own that it did 
surprise even me, and I could not have believed it had 
another man told it me) brought me to a stand-still, and 
compelled me to form a new plan for my future pro- 
ceedings. I was unwilling to give up the enterprise, 
though I saw the full risk I was running ; but dangers 
never daunted me, — I should think not, — and I deter- 
mined at every hazard to proceed. I accordingly re- 
traced my steps a day’s journey, when I found the at 
tractive powers of the pole of less force ; and then 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 127 

erecting a lofty pyramid of snow, I placed my compass 
on the summit, and CRi’efully covered it over. On the 
top of all I fastened a red pocket-handkerchief, secured 
to a walking-stick, in order to make the object still more 
conspicuous. Having performed this work, I lay down 
in a snow-hut to rest, and the next morning again set 
forward toward the pole.” 

The boatswain stopped to clear his throat. 

‘‘That is very interesting, Mr. Johnson,” said Gray. 
“ Do go on.” 

“ ril indulge you, young gentlemen — I’ll indulge 
you ; and as 1 look upon what I’m going to tell you as 
the most interesting part of my adventures, no one must 
interrupt me. The king on his throne musn’t and 
sha’n’t — till I have finished my authentic and veracious 
narrative.” 

“ Mr. Johnson ! Mr. Johnson ! the captain wants you 
— sharp ! ” shouted Toby Bluff running along the deck. 
Mr. Johnson gave a grunt, and, springing from his seat, 
disappeared up the hatchway. 


128 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


CHAPTER VI. 

I HAD a good constitution which had not been 
impaired by any excess, and as Mr. Perigal and the 
other oldsters of the mess kept strictly to the law by 
which they had awarded to themselves two-thirds of 
the youngsters’ grog, my blood was not inflamed by 
having imbibed spirituous liquors. I, therefore, under 
Macquoid’s judicious care, very rapidly recovered from 
the effects of my wound. In a few days I could have 
got up and run about, but as poor Gray, who was much 
more hurt than I had been, was too weak to leave his 
hammock, I promised to remain in mine to keep him 
company. When Macquoid came to me, therefore, one 
day and told me that I might dress and go on deck, I 
replied in a very faint voice, that I had not strength to 
move, and groaned a great deal when he moved me to 
dress my wound. 

“ Some internal injury, I fear,” he observed, “ I must 
see to it.” 

He then turned to Spellman, to dress his cheeks. He 
groaned exactly in the way I had done, and spoke in 
the same faint tone, declaring his inability to rise. 

“ Ah, poor fellow, some internal injury, I fear ; I 
must see to it,” remarked the assistant surgeon in the 
same tone, as he left us. 

Miss Susan, thinking that he had quitted the sick bay, 
sat up in his hammock, and made a well-known and 


MARMADUKK MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 129 

expressive signal to me with his thumb to his nose, 
which Macquoid, who happened at that moment to turn 
his head, could not have failed to observe. 

“ Miss Susan, you donkey, you have spoilt all. We 
arc found out,’* I exclaimed. “ Macquoid saw your 
sign to me.” 

Spellman declared that did not signify ; that he would 
explain how it happened to Macquoid, and assure him 
that the gesture was one wliich he frequently made 
when suffering from a paroxysm of pain. 

I told him that he had better say nothing of the sort, 
and that he would only make matters worse, but he per- 
sisted that he knew better than I did, and told me to 
hold ray tongue. Of course it was very wrong to sham 
to be worse than I was, but I persuaded myself that it 
was not like actual malingering, as I had a foundation 
for my assertion, and really did not feel as if I could 
walk. Still, I may as well say here, that though I have 
ever been through life merry by nature, as well as by 
name, and have loved joking as much as any man, I 
have learned to hate and detest falsehoods. It is un- 
christian-like in the first })lace, and thoroughly low and 
ungentleraanly in the second. I say this, lest in conse- 
quence of ray having introduced the wonderful adventures 
of my shipmate, Mr. Johnson, it may be considered that 
I think lightly of the importance of speaking the truth. 
To do .Jonathan justice he took ample care that his 
yarns should never for a moment deceive the most 
simple-minded or credulous of his hearers. At that 
time, however, I did not see things as clearly as I did 
when I grew older, and I was vexed at having tried to 


l30 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

deceive Macquoid, more from the fear of being found 
out than from any refined sense of shame. He, how- 
ever, when he came again in the evening, treated us 
exactly as if we were still very weak, and when Spell- 
man persisted in talking of the odd position into which 
his hands twisted themselves when he was in pain, he 
seemed to take it all in, and agreed with him, that such 
was a very natural and common occurrence. I had my 
doubts, however, of Macquoid’s sincerity, and having had 
some experience of his mode of treatment on a former 
occasion, resolved to be very much better the next visit 
he paid us. I said nothing to Spellman, w^hose spirits 
rose immediately. 

“ I told you so,” he exclaimed, when Macquoid was 
gone. “ I told you I should humbug Johnny Sawbones.” 

“ Now if we could but get the boatswain to come to 
us, and to go on with his yarns, W'e should be all right 
and jolly,” observed Gray. 

I agreed with him, and soon afterwards Toby Bluff 
coming to see me, which the faithful fellow did as often 
as he could during the day, I sent him to invite Mr. 
Johnson to pay us a visit, as he would have more leisure 
then than at any other time of the day. Nothing loth, 
the boatswain soon made his appearance. 

“And so, young gentlemen, you want to hear more 
of my wonderful, not to say veracious, narratives,” he 
observed, while a pleasant smile irradiated his features 
“ Well, I hold that the use of a man’s legs is to move 
about the world, the use of his eyes is to see all that is 
to be seen, as he does move about, and the use of his 
tongue to describe all that he has seen, and so I’ll use 


HARM A DUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 131 


mme to good purpose, and indulge you, but, as I’ve sarid 
before, I say again, I will have no one doubt my word. 
If tliere’s any cavilling, I’ll shut up as close as an oyster 
when he’s had his dinner, and, having made this pre- 
liminary observation, here goes. Let me recollect, where 
had I got to ? ” Mr. Johnson said this while taking his 
usual seat on a bucket, between our hammocks, his huge 
legs stretched out along the deck, and his big head 
sticking up, so that his eagle eyes could glance round 
above them. 

“ I remember, — I was taking a walk up to the North 
Pole. I did not think that I could be many days’ 
journey from it. ^ But that did not matter. The air 
was so bracing that I could take any amount of exercise 
without fatigue, and was therefore able to walk all day, 
sitting down merely for convenience’ sake when I was 
enjoying my dinner off the preserved bear. I of 
course could not cut the flesh with my knife, as it was 
frozen as hard as a rock. I was therefore obliged to 
chop it into mouthfuls with my hatchet, and even when 
between my teeth it was some time before it would 
thaw, but then you see, as I had nobody to talk to, I 
had plenty of time for mastication, and it was undoubt- 
edly partly to this circumstance that I kept my health 
all the time. There is nothing so bad as bolting one’s 
food, except going without it. By the way, I have had 
to do that more than once for several weeks together. 
Once for a whole month I had nothing to eat but some 
round shot and bullet moulds, and an old jackass, which 
was washed up on the beach, after being well pickled 
by the salt-water, but that has nothing to do with my 


132 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

present story. I wish that I had kept a diary of my 
proceedings, during my northern ramble. It would 
have proved highly interesting to Sir Joseph Banks, 
and other scientific people, but, as it happens, I have 
my memory alone to which I can trust, though that, 
however, never deceives me. Well, after leaving my 
flagstaff I travelled on, neither turning to the riglit 
hand nor to the left, and it is wonderful what a straight 
course I kept, considering the difiiculty there is in find- 
ing one’s way over a trackless plain without a compass. 
If I had had too much grog aboard, I could not have 
done it, and it’s a strong argument in favor of keeping 
sober on all occasions, but more especially when any 
w'ork is to be done. I slept at night, as before, in a hole 
in the snow, but never suffered from cold ; this was partly 
on account of the quantity of bears’ grease I swallowed, 
which served to keep the lamp of life alive, and also be- 
cause every mile I advanced I found the atmosphere 
growing warmer and warmer, and the Northern Lights 
brighter and brighter. There could be no doubt about 
it ; those lights were the cause of the unexpected warmth 
I encountered ; so warm, indeed, did the air become, 
that I am certain many a man would have turned back 
for fear of being roasted alive, but I was not to be 
daunted. Onward I went till I got within less than a 
mile of one of the biggest fires I ever saw. The effect 
was grand and beautiful in the extreme. You might 
suppose yourself looking at a city fifty times as large 
as London, and every house in it as big as St. Paul’s, 
and every part of it blazing away at the same time, and 
even then you would have no conception of the mag- 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MlHUHlPJViAN. 1,33 

nificence of the scene which met my view, as 1 beheld 
the source of those far-famed Northern Lights, the 
Aurora Borealis, as the learned people call them. 

“ The flames, you must know, were not of that bright 
hot color which issue from a furnace, but were of a 
delicate pale red, flickering and playing about in the 
most curious way imaginable, sometimes blazing up to 
the height of a mile or so, and tlien sinking down to a 
few hundred feet. The heat at the distance I was then 
from it was rather pleasant than oppressive ; it had not 
even melted the snow on the ground, but of course that 
was so hard frozen, that it would have required a very 
warm fire to have made any impression on it. Well, 
as I advanced I began to lick my chops at the thoughts 
of the hot dinner I intended to enjoy — for, after all, 
however philosophical a man may be, his appetite, if he 
is hungry, must be satisfied before he is fit for any thing 
— when I beheld a number of moving objects, scarcely 
distinguishable from the snow, encircling the fire. I 
could not make out at first what they were, but on ap- 
proaching still nearer, I discovered the truth, though I 
could scarcely believe my eyes, for there, sitting up on 
their hams, were countless thousands of polar bears, 
warming their paws before the Aurora Borealis. It is 
a fact as true as any thing I have been telling you, and 
at once fully accounted to my mind for the disappearance 
or bears from the Arctic regions during the winter 
months, and fully refutes the popular idea, that they sit 
moping by themselves in caverns, employing their time 
in sucking their paws. 

“ Not liking the idea of losing my hot dinner, not to 
12 


134 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

speak of the disappointment of not being able to say 
that I had been chock up to the North Pole. I deter 
mined to venture among them.” 

“ It wouldn’t give you much concern to say you had 
been there, at all events, even if you hadn’t,” growled 
out a voice'from one of the hammocks. 

“Sir!” exclaimed the boatswain very sternly, “I 
would have you to know that 1 scorn to exaggerate the 
truth, or to make an assertion which is not in strict ac- 
cordance with the facts. If you doubt my words, stop 
your ears or go to sleep, or I’ll shut up altogether.” 

“ Oh no, no, do go on, Mr. Johnson,” exclaimed sev- 
eral voices at the same moment. “We don’t doubt a 
word you’re saying.” 

“ Well, that’s right and proper,” said the boatswain, 
much appeased. “ If I do draw on my imagination at 
any time, it is because it is the only bank I know of 
which would not dishonor my drafts, as many a gentle- 
man who lives by his wits would have to confess, if he 
spoke the truth. Well, I resolved to venture on, and 
soon got up near enough to see that the bears were sit- 
ting as close as they could pack, in a large circle round 
the real veritable North Pole, and that those who were 
moving were merely stragglers, who could not find room 
to squat down with the rest. I was standing contem- 
plating the strange scene, when an immense big fellow 
catching sight of me, came waddling up on his hind 
legs, and growling terrifically with anger. ‘ This is in 
hospitable conduct, Mr. Bruin, let me observe,’ I shout 
ed out, but he did not attend to me. I had my gu:, 
loaded in my hands, so, when he came within ten yard^f 


MARMADUKB MEllUY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 135 


of me, I fired, and hit him on the eye. Over he rolled 
MS dead as mutton, so it appeared, and I had just time 
to cut a steak out of his rump for dinner, when another 
rushed toward me. I loaded calmly, fired, and knocked 
him over, but this was a signal for fifty others to make 
a charge at me. I felt that, ready for a fight as I was, 
I could not hope to contend against such overwhelming 
numbers, so I did what any person, however brave, sit- 
uated as I was would have done — I took to my heels 
and ran as hard as I could go. I never ran so fast in 
my life before, and good reason I had to put my best 
leg forward, for, in the course of a minute, there were a 
thousand bears at my heels, every one of them licking 
their jaws with the thoughts of dining off me. I must 
own that I did not like it. On I ran straight for my 
signal staff, never once looking behind me, for I could 
hear the bears growling as they followed full tilt ; and 
so clearly are sounds conveyed over those vast expanses 
of snow, that they seemed close at my heels. 

“ By the time I had run for fully ten hours without 
stopping, I began to get rather out of breath, and al- 
most to fear that I should not hold out much longer, 
when to my great satisfaction the growling grew less 
and less distinct, as the bears, dead beat, dropped off 
one after the other, till at last, turning my head, I found 
that I was alone. I cannot express how comfortable 
this made me feel, so I sat down for half an hour to re- 
cover my breath, and to eat my dinner, which was a 
cold instead of the hot one I expected to enjoy- 

“ When I got up again, what was my surprise to see 
my flagstaff in the distance, not two miles anead, ana it 


i 


186 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

was only then I discovered how very fast I must have 
run, for I had come back in a few hours a distance 
which it had before taken me a week to perform. I 
have heard of fear giving wings to the feet, but though 
I won’t allow that, I was afraid, I must have flown along 
at a good pace. Well, 'I got up to my flagstaff, and 
found my compass all right, though as soon as it was 
clear of the snow it had a slight inclination to move 
northward ; and so, to avoid risk, I stowed it away 
carefully in my pocket. The handkerchief was frozen 
as stiiff as a board, and I had some difficulty in folding 
it up for other purposes. I was glad also to get back 
my walking stick, which helped me wonderfully over 
the ground. Again I sat down. It was only now the 
real difiiculties of my position burst on me, but diflScul- 
ties never have and never shall daunt me. After a lit- 
tle consideration I determined to discover the spot 
where I had 'commenced making the circuit round the 
pole. For several days I was unsuccessful; till at last I 
beheld a dark object on the snow. I ran toward it, 
and it proved to be, as I expected, the body of one of 
my ship-mates, the last who had given in — a Shet- 
lander — Murdoc Dew by name, as good a seaman as 
ever lived. I exchanged boots with him as mine were 
worn out with so much walking, and then pushing on, 
I came upon the bodies of my other companions and 
the bears we had killed, by which I knew that I was 
steering a right course for the spot where I had left the 
ship. I calculated that had I gone south when I first 
thought of doing so, I should have got on shore some* 
where to the eastward of Nova Zembla, and have had 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIP3IAN. 137 

to travel right through Siberia and the whole of Europe 
before I could have got back to old England, which, 
considering that I had not a purse with me, nor a six- 
pence to put into it. would not have been pleasant. 

“ On I went till I got into the latitudes where icebergs 
are collected. They are, as is known, vast mountains 
of ice and snow, so that when I once got among them it 
was impossible to see any way ahead, and as the sum- 
mer was coming on and their bases melted, they began 
to tumble about in so awful a way, that I fully expected 
to be crushed by them. My food, too, was almost ex- 
pended, and Murdock Dew’s boots gave symptoms of 
over use, so that at last I began to think that there 
might be a pleasanter situation than the one I was 
placed in, when one day having climbed to the summit 
of the highest iceberg in the neighborhood, I beheld a 
light blue smoke ascending in the distance. Taking the 
exact bearings of the spot, I slid down an almost per- 
pendicular precipice of three hundred feet at least, at an 
awful rate, and then ran on as fast as my legs would 
carry me, for after a solitude of eight months I longed 
to see my fellow-creatures, and hear again the human 
voice. On I went, but still to my disappointment no 
ship appeared in sight, till at last I saw in front of me a 
low round hut, evidently the habitation of Esquimaux 
— a people whose habits, manners, and appearance, T 
was never much given to admire. I should observe that 
what with my bear-skin cloak and my long beard and 
hair (I say it without any unbecoming humility) I did, 
probably, look rather an outlandish character. 

As I understood something of the Esquimaux lingo 
12 * 


138 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

■ — indeed, there are few tongues I don’t know something 
about — I shouted loudly to attract their attention. On 
this, two men, dressed in skins, came out of the hut, and 
answered me in so extraordinary a dialect, that even I 
did not comprehend what they said. I then hailed them 
in Russian, but their answers were perfectly unintelligi- 
ble. I next tried French, but they shook their heads, 
as was, I thought, but natural for Esquimaux who were 
not likely to have been sent to Paris for their education. 
I then spoke a little Spanish to them, but I was equally 
at a loss to understand their answers. Portuguese was 
as great a failure ; even several of the languages of the 
North American Indians did not assist us in communi- 
cating our ideas to each other. I tried Hindostanee, 
Arabic, and Chinese, with as little effect. This was, 
indeed, provoking to a man who had not exchanged a 
word with a fellow-creature for so many months, till at 
last, losing temper, I exclaimed in English more to my- 
self than to them, — 

“ ‘ Well, I wonder what language you do speak, 
then ? ” 

“ ‘ English, to be sure,’ answered both the men in a 
breath, ‘ and never spoke any other in our lives.’ 

‘ Are you indeed my countrymen ? ’ I cried, rushing 
forward and throwing myself into their arms, for by the 
tone of their voices I discovered that not only were they 
Englishmen but my own former shipmates. 

“ They, of course, thinking that I had long been dead, 
had not recognized me ; indeed I had some difficulty, as 
it was, in convincing them of my identity, and of the 
truth of the account I gave of my adventures since I 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 139 

left the ship. I was certainly an odd object, with a 
beard of so prodigious a length, that it not only reached 
the ground, but I had to tie it up as carters do their 
horses’ tails, to keep it out of the snow. My hair and 
eyebrows had increased in the same proportion, so that 
I was more like a wild beast than a man. This extra- 
ordinary exuberance I attribute entirely to my having 
lived so completely on bears’ flesh. When cut oflf it 
served to stuff a large-sized pillow, which I afterwards 
gave to the President of the United States, who sleeps 
every night on it to this day. 

“ My old shipmates told me that they were the only 
survivors of the crew — that our ship had been nipped 
by two floes of ice with such violence that she was sent 
flying into the air full sixty feet, and that when she 
came down again on the ice she split into a thousand 
pieces, which went skating over the smooth surface for 
miles, and that, of course, the bones of every one on 
board were broken, but that they, having been sent 
ahead in a boat at the time, escaped. 

“ Now I do not wisli to throw any discredit on my 
friends’ narrative, but remember that I will not and 
cannot vouch for the accuracy of any man’s statements 
except of my own. 

“ My friends, having got over their first surprise, in- 
vited me to enter their hut, where I must say I enjoyed 
a comfortable fire and a warm chop — though I burnt 
my mouth when eating the hot meat, accustomed as I 
had so long been to iced food. We washed down the 
flesh with some excellent rum, a few casks-full of which 
my shipmates had discovered near the scene of the 


140 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

catastrophe, in frozen forms, like jellies tnrned out of a 
tin, for the wood had been completely torn off when the 
ship went to pieces. When our repast was concluded 
we whiled away the time by narrating our adventures, 
and though you may have observed that I am not much 
given in general to talking, I confess I did feel a pleas- 
ure in letting my tongue run on. It moved rather 
stiffly at first for want of practice ; but the hot food and 
spirits soon relaxed the muscles, and then it did move 
certainly. My only fear was that I should never get it 
to stop again. We talked on for twelve hours without 
ceasing, and, after a little sleep, went on again the whole 
of the next day.” 

A loud guffaw from the occupant of a distant ham- 
mock made the boatswain stop short, and look round 
with an indignant glance. 

“ I should like to know, hir. Haugh ! Haugh ! Haugh ! 
whether you are laughing at me, or at my veracious nar- 
rative ? If at me, I have to remark that it is not over 
well-bred, whoever you are, offlcer or man : if at my his- 
tory, let me observe, all you have to do is to match it 
before you venture to turn it into fun. It may have 
been equalled. I don’t wish to rob any man of his lau- 
rels ; but it has not been surpassed, and so Mr. Haugh ! 
Haugh ! I’ve shut you up, and intend to shut up myself, 
too, for it’s time for me to go on deck and see what’s 
became of the ship, and that no one has walked away 
with her.” 

Saying this the boatswain rose from his tub, and with 
his huge head and shoulders bent down as he passed 
under the beams, he took his departure from among the 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 141 

hammocks. He had not been gone long before Toby 
Bluff made his appearance ; and as he came up to me 
I fancied, from his countenance, that there must be some- 
thing wrong with him. 

“ What is the matter. Bluff? ” I asked. 

“ Why, sir, I thought Mr. Johnson was here,” said he, 
without giving an answer to my question. 

“ But what if he is not ? ” said T. 

“ Why, Muster Merry, I wanted to see him very 
much before he went on deck,” he answered. 

“ On what account ? ” I asked, convinced that Toby 
had something to say which he, at all events, considered 
of importance, and I thought he might just as well tell 
me before he communicated it to the boatswain. He 
was Mr. Johnson’s servant, it must be remembered. 

Why, sir, I don’t know whether I am right or 
wrong,” he whispered, coming up close to my hammock. 

It’s just this, sir. We have got, you know, some three 
ur four hundred French prisoners aboard, at all events 
many more than our own crew now numbers, as so many 
are away in the prize, and others wounded. Well, sir, 
as I have been dodging in and out among them, I have ob- 
served several of them in knots, talking and whispering 
together as if there was something brewing among them. 
Whenever I got near any of them they were silent, be- 
cause they thought I might understand their lingo, though 
I don’t. I was sure there was something wrong. It 
might be they didn’t like their provisions or their grog, 
and were going to ask for something else, but whatever 
it was I made up my mind to find it out. At last I re- 
membered that there is a boy aboard, Billy Cuff, sir, 


142 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

who was taken prisoner by the French, and lived in 
their country for ever so long, and he used to be very 
fond of coming out with French words, though he is not 
a bit fond of the French, for they killed his father and 
his brother, poor fellow. Thinks I to myself, if Billy 
has not got much wits he has got ears, and we’ll see 
what we two together can find out. So I told Billy, and 
I got him to come and stow himself away near where I 
knew the Frenchmen would soon collect, and sure 
enough, sir, from what Billy heard, they have made up 
their minds to try and take the ship. They caught 
Billy and me stealing away, and from their looks they 
would have pitched us overboard if they had dared, but 
we tried to seem innocent like, as if we didn’t think any 
harm, and they still fancy it’s all right. Now if any of 
them saw me going up to speak to the boatswain, they 
might suspect that something was wrong, and be on their 
guard. I’ve done right, I hope, sir ? ” 

“ Indeed you have, Bluff,” said I, highly pleased at 
the intelligence and forethought he had shown. It 
proved that his wits were sharpening at a great rate, 
that in fact he had got the hay-seed out of his hair very 
rapidly. 

I agreed with him that it would not do to let any of 
(he Frenchmen see him talking to the boatswain, be- 
cause, if they were really going to rise, they might do so 
before preparations could be made to withstand them. 
He might go at once to Mr. Bryan or to one of the other 
officers, or to Captain Collyer himself, but then I thought 
it more than probable that they would not believe him, 
so I told him to run up and to tell the boatswain that 1 
wanted particularly to see him. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 143 

111 a short time Mr. Johnson’s long-nosed ruddy vis- 
age appeared above my hammock. I then told him, in 
a low voice, all I had heard from Toby. 

I should like to see them attempt it,” he answered, 
laughing. “ It’s a cock and a bull story, depend on that, 
Mr. Merry, but still you did very right in sending for 
me. It’s possible that I may report the circumstance to 
the captain, as it’s right that he should know the zeal and 
intelligence exhibited by boys Bluff and Cuff, though, as 
I say, there’s nothing in it, depend on that.” 

Notwithstanding Mr. Johnson’s assertion I observed 
that he immediately sent for boy Cuff to his cabin, and, 
as Toby afterwards told me, interrogated him very 
closely as to what he had heard. Nothing, however, 
was said to me on the subject, and I began to fancy that 
boys Bluff and Cuff had been deceived, or were making 
a mountain out of a mole hill. This matter had not 
made me forget Macquoid’s promised visit to us. The 
next morning, when we were all awake, I asked Spell- 
man how he felt. 

“ Very jolly,” he answered. “ But I have no inten- 
tion of getting up and bothering myself with duty for 
some time to come. I’ve done enough for the good of 
the service to last me for some time.” 

“ I should think so,” said I. “ I hear Macquoid’s 
voice ; here he comes.” I uttered a few groans which 
Spellman repeated with considerably more vigor. I 
let him go on, while I sat up with a pleased countenance 
to welcome the assistant surgeon, who appeared with a 
big bottle containing some black-looking stuff and a 
glass. Spellman went on groaning. 


144 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

“ Poor fellow, I’ve got something which will do him 
good,” observed Macquoid with a twinkle in his eye. 
“ Here, take this, my lad, there is nothing like it for in- 
ternal pains.” 

As he poured out the nauseous draught, the smell 
alone was so horrible that I resolved to do any thing 
rather than take it. Spellman, however, fearing that he 
should be detected if he refused, held his nose with his 
finger and thumb, and with many a wry face gulped it 
down. 

“ Don’t you think a little more would do him good ?” 
said I, in a hurried tone. “ I don’t want any myself ; 
the fact is, Macquoid, that the plasters you put on 
yesterday, did me so much good, and you have treated 
me so well altogether, that I feel getting quite well anei 
strong, and have been waiting all the morning for your 
coming, to ask if I might get up.” 

Macquoid shook his head at me. “ We’!! see how the 
wound looks first,” said he. “ But you must take a little 
of my elixir asafcetidae et licorice first. You evidently 
properly appreciate its virtues by recommending that 
Spellman should have more of it.” 

“ Ah, but you know, as you often say, when you 
drink up my grog, ‘ What’s one man’s meat, is another 
man’s poison,’ ” I answered promptly, for Macquoid was 
very fond of making use of all sorts of proverbs, es- 
pecially when he wished to show that he was right in 
any thing he chose to do. “ I have no doubt that it 
will do Spellman a great deal of good, or of course you 
would not give it him, it would be meat to him ; but as 
I am perfectly free of pains it would be positively throw- 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 145 

ing it away on me, though I don’t say it would be 
poison, of course not.” 

“ O you humbug, you arrant humbug,” exclaimed 
Spellman, sitting up in his hammock and clenching his 
fist at me. “ Why, not five minutes ago, you were 
groaning away worse than I was — that he was, Mac- 
quoid. Give him some of your beastly stuff. It’s not 
fair that I should take it, and not him. He promised to 
keep me company.” 

“ When the pains return he shall have more of it, 
depend on that,” said Macquoid, scarcely able to dress 
my wound for laughing. “ He has tasted it already. 
You shall have his allowance to-morrow if you are not 
better.” 

Spellman having betrayed himself, had not only to 
drink the mixture’ which was made as nasty as could 
be, though probably perfectly harmless, but to get 
and be ready to make himself useful if required, 
neck was rather stiff, but the pain was so slight that I 
felt almost able to return to my duty. I was glad to 
get about the decks, because I wanted to find out if 
Toby’s information had been believed. 1 saw nothing 
to indicate that any one apprehended an outbreak of 
the prisoners. The officers walked the deck as usual, 
singly or in couples, with a look of perfect unconcern, 
and the marines were scattered about, employed in their 
ordinary occupations. A Frenchman, who was, I 
guessed, the French captain, was pacing the quarter- 
deck with Captain Collyer, and his countenance looked 
very sad and troubled ; but that arose, I concluded, be- 
cause he had lost his ship and was a prisoner. Mr. 

18 


146 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

Bryan and some of the other gun room officers spoke to 
me very kindly, and congratulated me on being about 
again. At length Macquoid sent me below, suggesting 
that it might be wiser to take a little more of his elixir 
before I went to sleep* but I declined the favor, assur- 
ing him that the very thought of it restored me to un- 
wonted strength. He laughed, and wished me good 
night, advising me to make the most of my time, as I 
should soon have to keep watch again. “ Such wide 
awake fellows as you are cannot be spared,” he ob- 
served. I was soon asleep. I awoke with a start. 
All was dark. I heard seven bells strike ; I knew it 
must be toward the end of the first watch. The voice 
of an officer hailing the look-out sounded peculiarly dis- 
tinct, and served to show the quiet which reigned on 
‘ * »-d. The sea was smooth, we were carrying a press 
Ail, and I could hear the rush of the ship through 
water. Suddenly the silence was broken by the 
heavy tramp of men along the deck, while loud shouts 
and shrieks seemed to burst forth from every point. 
The drum beat to quarters, and I heard the voices of 
officers in loud distinct tones perfectly free from agita- 
tion issuing orders. 

“ What is the matter ? ” I exclaimed, starting up. 

“What can be the matter,” exclaimed Spellman. 
“ Are we all going to be murdered ? ” 

“ The matter is, that the Frenchmen have risen, and 
are trying to take the ship,” said I. “ And though they 
may murder us, who are unable to resist them, it*s a 
consolation to feel that they’ll be knocked on the head 
to a certainty themselves.” 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 147 

“ I can’t say that I feel any consolation at all ; oh 
dear ! ” cried Spellman, jumping up and beginning to 
dress, an example I followed, for I had no fancy to be 
killed without resistance. 

Gray at that moment awoke. I told him what was 
occurring, and that I intended to stick by him, and was 
groping about to get something to fight with, when I 
heard a voice high above the shrieks and cries, which 
I knew to be that of the Lieutenant of Marines, shout- 
ing,— 

“ Charge them, lads.” 

Then came the steady tramp of the jollies along the 
deck, lanterns were quickly lighted, and, looking out, I 
could see the Frenchmen scampering off*, tumbling down 
the hatchways, or hiding under the guns. They dis- 
covered that they had made a slight mistake. Not a 
trigger was pulled, and except from a few prongs with 
the points of bayonets, which caught the Frenchmen 
in their nether ends, no blood was drawn. Captain 
Collyer had not been quite so fast asleep, nor had 
boys Bluff* and Cuff* been quite so stupid as the Johnny 
Crapauds had fancied. The jollies had been warned 
to be in readiness, and before the first roll of the drum 
had sounded along the decks, they were at their posts, 
ready, as they always are, for any thing. 

The Frenchmen were soon put under hatches, and 
their officers, who had not joined the conspiracy (though 
they might if it had been successful, because then it 
would have been a very gallant affair), going among 
them, discovered the ring-leaders, and dragging them 
out, they were put in irons. 


148 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE! MIDSHIPMAN. 

It was some time, however, before complete quiet 
was restored. We, that is to say my messmates and I, 
assembled in the berths, and having discussed the mat- 
ter, concluded that all the culprits would be hung next 
morning. 

As our purser’s dips did not allow us to enjoy any 
extra amount of light, we soon had to retire to our 
hammocks. What was our surprise next morning to 
find that the Frenchmen were summoned aft, when 
their captain appeared and addressed them. I learned 
afterwards that he asked them whether they had been 
well fed, comfortably berthed, civilly treated, and on 
their owning that they were, he told them that they 
were a set of ungrateful scoundrels, a disgrace to the 
French nation, and that they all deserved to be hung. 

Captain Collyer then stepped forward and said that, 
though they might deserve hanging, as they had fought 
their ship bravely, and as no lives had been lost, he 
should overlook their fault, but he warned them th^t if 
they made a similar attempt they would be severely 
dealt with. The Frenchmen retired, looking consider- 
ably ashamed of themselves. The French captain then 
took off his hat, and making the most polite bow to 
Captain Collyer, thanked him for his humanity, observ- 
ing that the truly brave were always humane. 

I could not ascertain whether Captain Collyer had 
heard what Toby had told me, but two days after- 
wards, he and Cuff were together, not far from the 
captain, when he turned round and said, — 

“ My eye is upon you, boys Bluff and Cuff, and il 
you continue to behave as well as you have done, your 
interest will be cared for. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 149 

Now I could not help thinking that they really had 
saved the ship, but it would have been inconvenient 
to have acknowledged this at the time, and certainly 
have done Bluff and Cuff no real good ; probably only 
have set them up, and made them idle. I am com 
vinced that the captain acted in this matter, as he did 
in all others, with true kindness and judgment. 

Four or five days after this providential suppression 
of the mutiny, as I was walking the deck, having volun- 
teered to return to my duty, the look-out at the mast- 
head hailed that a sail was in sight. The usual 
questions were asked, and the master, going aloft to 
examine her, pronounced her to be, without doubt, a 
line-of-battle ship. It was not quite so easy to deter- 
mine whether she was an enemy or a friend. If the 
former, we might have another battle to fight, for Cap- 
tain Collyer was not the man to yield without one. 
Having the prize in tow, we were making all sail on our 
homeward course. 

On came the stranger. She was on our weather 
quarter, and soon showed us that she sailed faster than 
we did. 

Captain Collyer now hailed Mr. Lukyn, who com- 
manded the prize, to say that he intended to fight the 
line of-battle ship to the last, and then explained to him 
how he intended to manage. 

“ With all my heart, sir,” answered Mr. Lukyn, and 
the crew of the prize gave a loud cheer, to show that 
they were ready. 

The drum beat to quarters, and not only did all that 
were well assemble, but even all the sick and wounded 
18 * 


150 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


who could move crawled up on deck to help man 
the guns. Though I should not have been sorry to 
have got home without more fighting, I was as ready 
as any one, and hoped that I should not get another 
wound, as I was quite content with the one I had to 
exhibit. A guard was kept over the prisoners, who 
were told that they would be shot down without mercy 
if they made any disturbance, and then in grim silence 
we stood ready for the fight. 

The stranger came on, but at length she began to 
make signals, and we signalized in return, and then we 
soon found out that she was not an enemy, but a friend. 
She proved to be the Hercules, 74, and as she was 
homeward bound, her captain said that he would keep 
us company, to help fight any enemy which might 
appear. 

We ran on for two days when the Hercules made the 
signal of fleet to the south-east, and soon afterwards 
that several ships had borne up in chase. We next 
learned that they were enemies. We had still the prize 
in tow. Every stitch of canvas alow and aloft which 
the ship could carry was packed on her. It was an 
anxious time. To lose our gallantly won prize, and 
.perhaps to be carried off to a French prison, were not 
pleasant anticipations. 

I asked Mr. Johnson what he thought about the 
matter. 

“ Why, Mr. Merry, look you, I never anticipate 
evil,” he answered, with an expression of countenance 
very different to what he put on when telling his won- 
derful yarns. “ Time enough when it comes. ‘ There’#* 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 151 

many a slip between the cup and the lip,’ as you've 
heard say, and you’ll find it through life. The French- 
men out there think that they are going to gulp us 
down, but they may find that they are mistaken.” 

Fortunately the Aigle was a remarkably fast vessel, 
and though she could not carry all the canvas we did, 
we towed her along easily. The Hercules acted nobly, 
and followed like a huge bull-dog at our heels, ready to 
bear the brunt of the fight should the enemy come up 
with us. Still, as we looked at the overpowering 
numbers of the Frenchmen, there appeared but little 
prospect of our escaping. There were many specula- 
tions as to what we should do. One thing was certain, 
that our captain would not allow the Hercules to be 
taken without going to her assistance. I asked Mr 
Johnson what he thought about the matter. 

“Why, just this, young gentleman,” he answered. 
“ If the Frenchmen get near us, they’ll blow us out of 
the water, but they’ll have reason to be very sorry that 
they ever made the attempt. They may have our 
bones, but they’ll get no flesh on them.” 

The boatswain’s reply made me meditate a good deal. 
I wanted to enjoy, midshipman fashion, all the honor 
and glory I had gained, and I did not at all like the 
thoughts of being taken prisoner, and still less of being 
sent to the bottom with our colors flying — a very fine 
thing to do in theory, but practically excessively disa- 
greeable. I hinted at my feelings to Mr. Johnson. 

“ Very natural, Mr. Merry,” he answered. “ But, 
just think, if you were taken prisoner, how satisfactory 
it would be to make your escape, and if the ship were 


i52 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

to go down or blow up, how pleasant it would be to find 
yourself swimming away safely to land. Follow my 
example. Draw nourishment from the toughest food. 
Did I ever tell you how I was once blown up a hundred 
fathoms at least, right into the air? When I came 
down again I plunged as deep into the sea, but I struck 
out and came to the surface, for I knew that I must help 
myself, as there was nobody who could help me. I got 
hold of six of my companions and towed them ashore, 
a couple of miles or so. Very few others escaped. 
Now, if I had given in, they and I would have been 
lost, and His Majesty’s service would have been deprived 
of one of the best bo’suns to be found in it. I say this 
without vanity — because it’s a fact.” 

I found it difficult sometimes to ascertain whether Mr. 
Johnson was really serious or joking. 

The enemy were all this time chasing and coming up 
rapidly with us. Even Captain Collyer looked anxious. 
We, however, were all ready for the fight we anticipated. 

“ If we can keep well ahead of them till night comes 
on, we may give them the slip,” I heard the captain 
observe to Mr. Bryan. “ It may be more prudent on 
the present occasion to fly than to fight, but I am sure 
that every man will fight to the last if it comes to 
fighting.” 

“That they will, sir. I never saw the people in 
better spirit,” answered the second lieutenant. “ They 
are like a bull-dog with a captured bone. They are 
not inclined to yield it without a desperate tussle.” 

From all I heard I began to think whether I should 
not go and write a letter home, to tell them that when 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 15S 

they received it I should have fallen fighting for my 
king and country ; but then Spellman appeared on 
deck. He looked so absurd with his lugubrious counte- 
nance, and the plasters still on his cheeks, that I burst 
into a fit of laughter ; and, all my apprehensions vanish- 
ing, I was in a minute joking away with my messmates 
as usuaL 


154 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


CHAPTER VII. 

The Doris under all sail, with our hard-won prize 
m tow, kept standing to the northward, the gallant Her- 
cules bringing up the rear, while the French fleet, like 
a pack of yelping hounds, followed full chase at our 
heels. 

A stern chase is a long chase, and so we hoped this 
might prove, without an end to it. 

“ Our glasses, as may be supposed, were constantly 
turned toward the enemy. They had not gained much 
on us when the sun went down, and darkness stole over 
the surface of the ocean. Clouds were gathering in the 
sky — there was no moon, and the stars were complete- 
ly obscured. It was in a short time as dark a night as 
we could desire. The Hercules, looking like some huge 
monster stalking over the deep, now ranged up past us, 
and a voice from her ordered us to tack to the west- 
ward, and keep close to her. This we did, though we 
had no little difficulty in keeping together without lights, 
which we did not show, lest we might have been seen 
by the enemy. 

The next morning, when we looked round, not one 
of the F rench squadron was in sight, greatly to the vex- 
ation of our prisoners, who had hoped by this time to 
have seen the scales turned on us. We were out of the 
frying-pan, but before long we had reason to fear that 
•ve had tumbled into the fire. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIP3IAN. 155 

Two days after this, when morning broke, w'e found 
ourselves enveloped by a thick fog. There was but lit- 
tle wind, and the sea was perfectly smooth. Suddenly 
the distant roar of a gun burst on our ears. It was an- 
swered by another much nearer; a third boomed over 
the waters on the other side of us. Others followed; 
then fog-bells began to ring — louder and more distinct 
they sounded ; and more guns were fired. 

“ What’s all that about ? ” I asked of the boatswain, 
who was looking out on the forecastle. 

“ Why, that we are in the middle of a big fleet of 
men-of-war, and if, as I suspect, they are French, and 
they catch sight of us, they’ll make mincemeat of our 
carcases in pretty quick time,” he answered, squirting 
a whole river of tobacco juice overboard, a proof to me 
that he was not pleased with the state of affairs. 

“ Why, I thought it was a French fleet we escaped 
from only two days ago,” I remarked. 

“ So it was, and this is another,” he answered. “ In 
my opinion we shall never get things to rights till we 
send to the bottom every French ship there is afloat, 
and we shall do that before long if we can but get a 
good stand up fight — that’s my opinion.” 

Mr. Johnson was right, as subsequent events proved. 
The fog was so dense that we could not see a single 
sail, close as we were to them, and we expected every 
instant to run into one, or to be hailed and probably dis- 
covered. The men were sent without noise to their 
quarters, for of course it was I’esolved that we should 
fight our way out from the midst of our enemies. 

On we glided. The dim form of a ship was seen on 


l56 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

our Starboard bow. Our course was slightly altered, 
but it was only to get nearer to another. A French- 
man hailed. Captain Collyer answered ; what he said 
1 do not know. It seemed to satisfy the stranger. No 
shot was fired, and we stood on. Still there was some- 
thing peculiarly solemn and awful in the feeling that 
any moment we might be engaged in an encounter 
against the most overwhelming odds. 

Again the upper sails of another ship appeared. 
From their height she was evidently a ship which might 
have sunk us with a broadside. By seeing this second 
ship. Captain Collyer was able to ascertain in what di- 
rection the enemy’s fleet was standing. As soon as he 
had done this, our helm was put up, and away we noise- 
lessly glided to the westward. The bells were soon no 
longer heard — the boom of the guns became fainter and 
fainter every minute, and at length we had the satisfac- 
tion of feeling that we were well clear of them. 

“ Depend on it, you have never been nearer inside a 
French prison or a watery grave than you have been 
this morning,” observed Mr. Johnson to me. 

“ I don’t know that. When I was aboard the lugger, 
and floating about in the channel, I was rather nearer 
both one and the other,” I answered. 

“You thought you were, but, as the event proved, 
you were not,” said the boatswain. “ Depend on it, I 
am right, Mr. Merry. If the captain had not been 
a good French scholar our fate would have been sealed 
long before this. We never know on what apparently 
trivial circumstances our safety depends.” 

Mr. Johnson, it may have been remarked, was never at 


MARMADDKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 167 

A loss for an argument or a remark of some sort. His 
pertinacity in that respect puts me in mind of a certain 
kind-hearted Royal Duke with whom I once had the 
honor of dining — a number of naval and military offi- 
cers being present. 

“ Captain R said he, addressing one of them, 

^ how is your father ? ” 

“ Your Royal Highness, he is dead,” was the answer. 

“ Oh ! is he ; poor fellow ! Then, how is your mo- 
ther?” 

“ Your Royal Highness, she is dead also.” 

“ Oh, is she I Then which died first ? ” asked the 
Duke in a tone which made it very difficult even for 
the best bred of the company to refrain from laugh- 
ing. 

Without further adventure the Doris and her prize 
arrived safely in Plymouth Sound. 

We waited anxiously for the report of the dock-yard 
authorities, who at length gave it as their opinion that 
the frigate had got so knocked about that she must go 
into dock to be repaired. Everybody was in a great 
hurry to get leave. In consequence of our having been 
wounded. Gray and Spellman and I obtained it at once, 
and I invited them to pay my family a visit in Leices- 
tershire on their way to their own homes. I got leave 
also for Toby Bluff to accompany us. 

“ I’ll spare him to you, Mr. Merry,” said Mr. John- 
son. Take care you bring him back, for he will one 
day do credit to the service in his humble path, just as 
I flatter myself I do credit to it in mine, and I hope that 
you, Mr. Merry, will one day in yours. You’ve made 
14 


158 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

a very good beginning, and you may tell your friends 
that the boatswain of the ship says so. Let them under- 
stand that the boatswain is a very important personage, 
and they will be satisfied that you are a rising young 
officer.” 

We got a sufficient amount of prize-money advanced 
to enable us to perform our journey, which we did partly 
in a coach and partly in post-chaises. The latter mode 
of travelling we agreed was by far the pleasantest. Af- 
ter we left the coach we went along very steadily for a 
stage or so. 

“ This is slow work,” observed Spellman. “ I vote 
we make more sail.” Looking out of the window he 
sang out, “ Heave ahead, my hearty. There’s a crown 
for you if you make the craft walk along.” 

Although the post-boy did not understand my mess- 
mate’s language he did our gestures and the mention ot 
the crown, and on we went at a great rate, turning up 
the dust as the gallant Doris was wont to do the brine, 
and making the stones fly in every direction. 

At last one of the postilions, who entered into our 
humor, proposed getting a horn for us. We eagerly ac- 
cepted the offer, and he said he would purchase one from 
the guard of a coach, who lived near the road a little 
way on. It was rather battered, and we paid a high 
price, but when we found that Toby could blow it effec- 
tually, we would have had it at any price. 

Proud of his acquisition, Toby mounted the box, and 
he blowing with might and main, highly delighted, on 
we dashed. 

I ought to have said that, before we left the ship, 


MAiniADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 159 

Graj and I had presented to us the two small flags we 
had nailed to the crossjack yard in the action with the 
Aigle. 

At the last stage we agreed that we would do some- 
thing to astonish the natives, so we ordered an open 
barouche, which we saw in the yard, with four horses. 
We got out our flags, and improvised another for Spell- 
man ; these we secured to sticks, which we cut from the 
roadside. Toby trumpeting like a young elephant, we 
waving our flags and shouting at the top of our voices, 
up we dashed in gallant style to the hall door, and 1 be- 
lieve did astonish themi most completely. 

Never, indeed, had the family of Merrys been in a 
greater commotion than we had the satisfaction of throw- 
ing them into by our arrival. It was the holidays, and 
all my brothers and sisters were at home. Out rushed 
my father and mother, and Bertha and Edith and Wini- 
fred, while my brothers Cedric and Athelstan, and Eg- 
bert and Edwin, hurried up from various quarters, and 
every servant in the house was speedily collected, and 
everybody laughed and cried by turns, and the post-boys 
grinned, and I was kissed and hugged by all in succes- 
sion — Gray and Spellman coming in for their share — 
till I bethought me that I would create a still greater 
sensation ; so, when good Mrs. Potjam, the housekeeper, 
was beginning to hug me, as was her wont in days gone 
by, I shrieked out, — 

“ Oh, dear ! oh, my wound ! my wound ! ” 

My shipmates, seeing the effect produced, imitated my 
example. 

“ What, wounded, my dear child ? What, have you 


160 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

been wounded ? ” exclaimed my mother and sisters in 
chorus. 

“ Of course I have ; and do you think those deep 
dimples on Spellman’s cheeks — I forgot to introduce 
liim, by the by. Mr. Spellman, midshipman of his 
Britannic Majesty’s frigate Doris — Mr., Mrs., and the 
Miss and Master Merrys and their faithful domestics — 
do you think that those deep dimples are natural ? No, 
indeed a shot went through his cheeks — right through 
*— and those are the scars. See how Gray limps — I 
forgot, I ought to have introduced him. Mr. George 
Gray, also midshipman of his Britannic INIajesty’s frigate 
Doris, and my esteemed friend and messmate ; and for 
myself, I can scarcely yet use my arm. So you see 
we are heroes who have fought and bled for our coun- 
try.” 

In those days, as there were not so many newspapers 
as at present, people were compelled to be their own 
trumpeters more than would now be considered correct. 
Some, also, trumpeted overmuch, knowing that there was 
not the probability that there is at present of their being 
found out. 

This statement of mine increased, as I thought it 
would, the respect all were inclined to pay us. Dinner 
was just going on the table, and when we had satisfied 
our hunger, all our tongues were busily employed in our 
peculiar styles in recounting our adventures. The butler 
and footman often stopped to listen, and not a little forgot 
their proper duties. 

One placed an empty dish before my mother, into 
which the cook liad forgot to put the poultry ; the butler 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 161 

filled my father’s glass with fish soy, and two of the men 
bolted tilt against each otlier, and capsized the remains 
of a sirloin of beef over the carpet with which one of 
them was hurrying off after waiting to listen to the fag 
end of one of my narratives. 

Toby Bluff was as busily employed in the servants’ 
hall, and from the broad grins on the countenances of 
the footmen as they returned to the dining-room, I have 
no doubt that his narratives were of a facetious char- 
acter. 

I never have spent so jolly a time as I did during 
that visit home. Our wounds did not incommode us ; 
we had every thing our own way, and all my family and 
friends made a vast deal of us. 

At length a newspaper arrived giving an account of 
the capture of the Aigle, and confirming all I had said ; 
and when, two nights after, we appeared at a country 
ball, and as we entered the room the band struck up 
“ See the conquering hero comes,” we were in higher 
feather than ever. 

Gray and Spellman had, however, to go and see their 
own friends, and they enjoyed the rather doubtful ad- 
vantage of again undergoing the same treatment they 
had received at our house. When they were gone, and 
the nine days of wonder were over, I found myself 
sinking into a rather more ordinary personage. In those 
good old days, however, midshipmen who had been in an 
engagement and got wounded were somebodies — at all 
events, if their fathers had fine country-seats and saw a 
number of guests. 

Time sped on. I do not think my family were tired 
14 * 


162 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

of me, but when the Doris was reported ready for sea, 
they calmly acquiesced in the necessity of my rejoining 
her without delay, and so Toby and I found ourselves 
packed off in a yellow chaise, and directed to find our ■ 
way back to Plymouth as fast as we could. 

We made the journey without any adventure, and on 
our arrival on board found that Mr. Lukyn had been 
promoted, and that Mr. Bryan was the first lieutenant. 
As soon as we had reported ourselves we dived below 
to the berth to hear the news. Two new lieutenants 
had joined — the second was a Mr. Patrick Fitzgerald. 
I need not say that he was an Irishman. He was pro- 
nounced to be a most extraordinary fish, and he posi- 
tively seemed to take a pleasure in being so considered. 
He had a big head covered with reddish hair, which 
stuck out straight as if he was always in a fright, his 
complexion was richly freckled, his eyes small but 
twinkling, and his nose, though not prominent, was of 
ample dimensions as to width. This beautiful headpiece 
was placed on the broadest of shoulders. His body was 
somewhat short, but his legs were proportioned to bear 
the frame of an elephant. He was, as he used to boast, 
entirely Irish from truck to keelson, but certainly not 
of a high class type. The third lieutenant was an 
Englishman. This was fortunate. Mr. Haisleden was 
a steady trustworthy man, and had a good deal of the 
cut of a first lieutenant about him. It is said that, as a 
rule. Irishmen make better soldiers than sailors, and 
perhaps this is the case. If inclined to be wild they are 
apt to out-Herod Herod. The strict rules of naval dis- 
cipline do not suit their natural temperament. Paddy 


MAKSIADUKE MElillY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 163 

Fitzgerald was a case in point, but a more amusing fel- 
low and better messmate never lived. The ship was 
again almost ready for sea. Perigal, who had got 
leave, came on board, looking very sad at having had 
again to part from his wife. Spellman and Gray joined 
the next day. There had been no changes in our birth. 
Perigal ought certainly to have been promoted, but he 
was not. “ When the ship is paid off, I suppose that I 
shall be,” he observed with a sigh. It was soon reported 
that we were ordered out to the West Indies. Gray 
and I took an opportunity of asking Mr. Johnson what 
sort of a country we should find out there. 

“ One thing I will tell you, young gentlemen, you’ll 
find it hot enough to boil your blood up a bit,” he an- 
swered; “as to cooking a beefsteak on the capstan 
head, that’s nothing, but what do you say to finding all 
the fowls in the hencoops roasted and fit for table? and 
all you have to do, is to hold a burning glass over a 
bucket of water with fish swimming about in it, and in 
five minutes you’ll have them all thoroughly boiled.” 

Gray and I laughed. 

“Well, Mr. Johnson, it must be hot indeed,” said I, 
and, though I did not exactly put faith in his account, I 
began to wish that we had been bound elsewhere. The 
boatswain saw Spellman listening with mouth agape. 

“ Hot, I believe you,” he continued ; “ did you ever 
sit on a red-hot gridiron with your feet under the grate, 
your head in the fire, and your fists in boiling water? 
If you ever did, you’ll have some notion of what you’ll 
have to go through in the dogdays out in those parts.” 

“ Oh dear, oh dear,” exclaimed Spellman : “ why, we 
shall all be downrigh! roasted.” 


164 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAJf. 

** IVe a notion there’s some one being roasted now,” 
observed Mr. Johnson, with a wink and a curl of his 
nose. “ Roasted ! Oh dear no : all we’ve to do, is to 
sit up to our necks in casks of water, and bob our heads 
under every now and then. To be sure, there is a fear 
that we may all turn into Blackamoors, but that is noth- 
ing when a man gets accustomed to it. I don’t see why 
a dark skin should not be as good as a white one. 
Though they don’t all talk the same lingo, they’ve as 
much sense in their woolly heads as white men, that’s 
my opinion; and so young gentlemen, when you get 
among them out there, just treat them as if they were 
of the same nature as yourselves, and you’ll find that 
they will behave well to you, and will be faithful and 
true.” 

Mr. .Johnson’s remarks were interrupted by the ap- 
pearance of Toby Bluff, who came to summon him on 
deck. Blue Peter was flying from aloft. In ten min- 
utes afterwards the capstan bars were manned, the mer- 
ry pipe was heard, and a sturdy gang of our crew 
tramping round, the anchor was hove up, the topsails 
were let fall, and away the Doris once more glided over 
the wide sea toward the far west.^ We had a rapid 
passage without meeting with an enemy ; indeed, scarce 
ly a sail hove in sight. We made St. Thomas’s, and 
stood across the Caribbean sea toward Jamaica. Hot 
it was, but not so hot as Mr. Johnson had led us to 
expect. 

“Wait a bit,” he remarked. “It’s now winter; just 
let us see what the summer will be like.” 

We were not destined to enter Port Royal. We had 


MAKMADUKB MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 166 

been making good progress toward it, when three sail 
were seen from the masthead. As enemies of all na- 
tions, just then swarmed in every direction, it was more 
likely that we should have to fight, than that we should 
meet with friends. The strangers approached. There 
were three ships not smaller than frigates certainly, 
perhaps larger. Still we knew that Captain Collyer 
would not dream of running away while there was a 
possibility of coming off victorious. If he did run, it 
would only be to induce the enemy to follow. The 
decks were cleared for action. Slowly we closed, when 
at length the strangers began to signalize, and we dis- 
covered that they formed the squadron of Captain 
Brisbane, who directed Captain Collyer to join him; 
except that, in case of parting company, we were or- 
dered to rendezvous at Aruba, a small island about 
twenty leagues to the westward of Cura 9 oa, we re- 
mained in ignorance of what was about to be done, 
though that there was something in the wind we had 
little doubt. Various opinions were expressed; some 
thought that as the Dutch had chosen to follow Napole- 
on’s advice, and go to war with us, we should attack the 
island of Cura 9 oa itself, to show them that they had 
better have remained at peace ; but the general idea 
was, that, as it was strongly fortified, we should not 
make such an attempt without large reinforcements. We 
did not know then what sort of stuff the commodore 
was made of. 

On the evening of the 22nd of December, we anchored 
at the west end of Aruba, and we soon learned that 
Captain Brisbane had not only resolved to attack Cura- 


166 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

qoa, but that he had a first-rate plan, all cut and dry, 
just suited to the tastes of British seamen. He had 
learned that the Dutch had a custom of finishing the 
old year by getting very tipsy ; high and low, old and 
young, men and women, all imbibed as large an amount 
of schedam as they could manage to stow away. Even 
ladies, young and fair, went about the streets offering 
glasses of the attractive liquor to their acquaintance and 
friends, and it would have been a positive insult to have 
refused it from their hands. The consequence was that 
the inhabitants, military and civil, had no inclination to 
get up in the morning, and even guards and look-out 
men were apt to go to sleep at their posts. Captain 
Brisbane formed his plans accordingly, and fixed day- 
break on January the 1st as the moment for attack. 
We sailed again on the 24th, and had a long beat up 
against the trades toward the east end of Cura 9 oa. Our 
time, however, was busily employed in making scaling 
ladders, sharpening cutlasses, and manufacturing every 
bit of red cloth or stuff we could find into soldiers’ coats, 
as also in arranging other badges, by which each ship’s 
company could be easily distinguished. Each crew 
was thus divided into storming parties, under the lieu- 
tenants and senior mates, the captain acting as leader. 
The boatswains were ordered to place themselves at the 
lieads of parties with ladders to scale the walls, and 
crowbars to break open the gates. 

Mr. Johnson was in high glee. We shall see what 
we shall see, and I am very much mistaken if we don’t 
teach the Mynheers a lesson they will not easily for- 
get,” he exclaimed, as he reviewed the articles under 
his directions. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 167 

We made the high land of St. Barbary, at the east 
end of CuraQoa before the year was an hour old, and 
we then had a fair wind, the regular south-east trade, to 
run for the harbor of St. Ann’s, situated on the south- 
east of the island. Every one was in high spirits. We 
knew full well that the enterprise was a difficult and 
dangerous one, but we saw that it was planned with 
consummate prudence and forethought, and we felt per- 
fect confidence that it would succeed. It was no child’s 
play we were about to perform, as the gallant Arethusa 
leading, we stood for the harbor, with our boats in tow, 
ready at a moment’s notice to disembark the storming 
parties. We felt very proud, for we were going to 
show what blue jackets could do when left to them- 
selves. I was stationed on the forecastle, and so wav® 
Gray, with our glasses constantly at our eyes. Before 
us appeared the narrow entrance of the harbor, only 
fifty fathoms wide ; indeed it nowhere exceeds a quar- 
ter of a mile in width. On our right appeared Fort 
Amsterdam, mounting no less than sixty guns in two 
tiers, capable, it seemed, of blowing us all out of the 
water, while there was a chain of forts on the opposite 
side, and at the bottom of the harbor the fortress, said 
to be impregnable, of Forte R^publique enfilading the 
whole, and almost within grape-shot distance. Athw^art 
the harbor was moored a Dutch thirty-six-gun frigate 
and a twenty-gun corvette. The commodore had been 
ordered t5 diplomatize, and so he did in the most effectual 
way, for we all sailed in with a flag of truce flying, but 
with the guns run out and the men at their quarters. 
The Mynheers, however, were not inclined to listen to 


168 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


reason, but, waking up, and seeing some strangers in 
their harbor, they hurried to their guns, and began 
firing away at us. Their aim was not very good, and 
few shots hit us. On we steadily sailed. Suddenly there 
was a cry of disappointment ; the wind had shifted, and, 
coming down the harbor, very nearly drove us on shore. 
There seemed every prospect of our being compelled to 
abandon the enterprise. The men in their enthusiasm 
wished to tow the frigates up. Again it shifted. Our 
sails filled ; the men cheered heartily. Once more up 
along the harbor, we lay till we brought our broadsides 
to bear on the forts and the two Dutch ships, the 
Arethusa’s jibboom being right over the town. It was 
just dawn ; a boat was despatched by the commodore 
for the shore ; she bore a summons to the Dutch 
governor to surrender, promising to treat him and 
everybody with the utmost civility if he would ; but 
Mynheer von Tronk was in no humor to listen to any 
of the more refined arguments Captain Brisbane had to 
offer ; so the flag of truce was hauled down, and we had 
recourse to the argumentum ad hominem, or, in other 
words, we began blazing away from all the guns we 
could bring to bear. This fully roused up the sleepy 
Dutchmen, and we could see them (Mr. Johnson de- 
clared that many of them had their breeches in their 
hands), rushing into the boats to get on board their 
ships, or hurrying to the batteries, which had hitherto 
maintained a very ineffectual fire. We had given them 
just three broadsides, when the commodore at the head 
of a part of his crew put off from the Arethusa and 
pulled for the Dutch frigate. Up her sides we saw 


MARMADUKK MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 169 

him and his gallant fellows climbing. TVe longed to be 
with them. The Dutch fought bravely, as they always 
do, but liquor had unnerved their arms. The conflict 
though short was sharp. Down came the Dutch flag, 
and up went that of England, but not till the Dutch 
captain and several of his crew had been killed and 
numbers wounded. The brave captain Lydiard of the 
Anson captured the corvette in the same style. Still 
close to us frowned the fort, capable it seemed of sink- 
ing every one of our ships in a few minutes. 

“We must take them, Bryan, without loss of time,” I 
heard our captain observe, as I was sent up with a mes- 
sage to him. Scarcely had he uttered the words, when 
the signal to land was made. In a wonderfully few 
moments the boats were manned and crowded with 
small-arm men, and with ladders and crowbar bearers. 
I accompanied Mr. Johnson with the ladder-bearers’ 
party. While the crowbar-men proceeded to the gates, 
we made the best of our way to the walls. Our chief 
hope was to succeed by a dash. The Dutchmen num- 
bered ten to one to us, and they were no cowards, only 
slow. As yet they had not half opened their eyes, or 
they might have counted our numbers, and discovered 
that our idlers, dressed in red coats, were not really 
soldiers. Mr. Johnson was in his glory ; the exploit was 
one exactly to suit his taste. 

“ That commodore of ours is a first-rate fellow, Mi- 
Merry,” he exclaimed, as we pulled on shore. “ If he 
was first Lord, and I was admiral of the fieet, we should 
soon drive every enemy’s ship off the seas.” 

On shore we sprang, and under a pretty hot fire wo 
15 


no MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

ruslied toward the walls. The ladders were placed, in 
spite of the efforts of the half-drunken Dutchmen, to 
prevent this, many of them toppling over into the ditch 
in their attempts to shove them off. Up our men 
swarmed, their cutlasses in their teeth. Mr. Bryan led 
one i)arty, Mr. Fitzgerald another; the latter with a 
loud shriek, which he called his family war-cry, — it 
sounded like “ Wallop a hoo a boo, Erin go bragh,” — 
sprang on to the walls. A big Dutchman stood ready 
with a long sword to meet him, and would certainly 
have swept off his head, had he not nimbly dodged on 
one side with so extraordinary a grimace, that he not 
only escaped free, but, swinging round his own cutlass, 
he cut off the head of the unfortunate Dutchman, who 
was watching him with astonishment. Then on he 
went, cutting right and left, and putting the wide- 
breeched enemy to flight on every side. I followed 
Mr. Johnson ; I knew that I was in good company 
when I was near him, and that though we should most 
certainly be in the thick of the fight, so long as he 
kept on his legs he would have an eye on me. We 
did not gain the top of the walls without being op- 
posed, but the Dutchmen literally could not see how to 
strike. A fat bombadier, however, made a butt at me, 
and would have sent me over again, had not the boat- 
swain seized me by the collar, when the bombadier 
went over himself, and lay sprawling under the feet 
of our men at the bottom. Then on we went, firing 
our pistols, and slashing right and left. A loud huzza 
from the sea-gate announced to us that that had been 
fo^'^ed open, and the Dutchmen finding that the day 


MARMADtJKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 171 

was ours, and persuaded that discretion was the best 
part of valor, threw down their arms, and shouted out 
lustily for quarter. It was gladly given them ; indeed, 
there was no real animosity between us, and officers 
and men were soon seen shaking hands together in 
the most friendly way possible. We had taken just 
ten minutes to do the work. However, we had some 
more places to .capture, so locking up our prisoners 
with a guard over them, out we went again, and climbed 
up the walls of several other minor forts in succession, 
the same scenes taking place at each. There was a 
great deal of shouting and running, but very little blood 
shed. Mr. Fitzgerald shrieked and shouted, “ Wallop 
a hoo a boo,” as before, and made terrific grimaces. Mr. 
Johnson watched him with great admiration. 

“ Some men make their fortune by their good looks, 
Mr. Merry,” he observed. “ But to my mind; that 
second lieutenant of ours is more likely to make his 
by his ugliness. It’s a proof that the gifts bestowed 
on man are very equally divided. He would be nothing 
without that curious mug of his.” 

The Dutch flag still flew defiantly from Fort R^pub- 
lique, at the head of the harbor. Garrisons were left 
in each of the forts, and with a large body of prisoners 
as hostages we once more returned on board our ships. 
We now opened a hot fire on the forts. I observed 
to Mr. Johnson, that I heard some of the Dutch officers 
whom we had as prisoners declare that it was impreg- 
nable. 

‘‘ Very likely,” he answered coolly. “ But you su^, 
Mr. Merry, British seamen have a knack of getting 


172 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

into impregnable places, as we shall very soon show 
them.” 

Just then the order was received from the com- 
modore to disembark the marines and a body of seamen 
from each ship. I was delighted again to be allowed to 
go. We landed under the protection of the guns of the 
captured frigate, and made the best of our way round 
toward the rear of the fort, while the ships kept hurling 
their shot at it in front. I rather think the Dutchmen 
in the fort did not see us, as we pushed on among sugar 
canes, coffee, and cotton plantations. We got into the 
rear of the fort after nearly an hours’ very hot march, 
aud then making a dash toward the walls, we were hah 
way up them before the Dutchmen found out what we 
were about. Many of the officers indeed were quietly 
smoking their meerschaums, looking down the harbor, 
while they directed the artillerymen at the guns. 

When they discovered us, dashing down their pipes, 
they hurried to oppose our progress, but it was too late. 
Our footing was obtained in their impregnable fortress, 
and, exulting in our success, we dashed on. Still the 
Dutchmen fought very bravely. As I kept by Mr. John- 
son’s side, I observed the flutter of some white dresses 
just before us. They were those of ladies, I guessed, 
who had been sent to the fort for security, and who now, 
taken by surprise, were endeavoring to make their es- 
cape from us. Not knowing where they were going, 
they ran right in among a party of our men, who, not 
intending to hurt them, at all events began to treat them 
in a way which naturally caused them very considerable 
annoyance and alarm. The truth is, when soldiers and 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 173 

sailors take a place by storm, they become more like 
wild beasts than human beings, and I have witnessed 
scenes in my career which makes me even now shudder 
to think of. 

The men into whose hands the ladies had fallen did 
not belong to our ship. There was no officer with them ; 
so, calling to Mr. Johnson, I ran on. Three of the 
ladies were elderly, but there were five others, mostly 
young — one especially was, at least so I thought, a 
very pretty fair girl. She looked pale, and terribly 
frightened. 

“ Let those women alone,” shouted Mr. Johnson ; but 
the men only looked defiantly at him, and seemed in no 
way inclined to obeyj which put him in a great rage. 

A boatswain has but little authority except over the 
men of his own ship. 

“ Mind your own business,” cried some of the marines. 
“ What have you got to say to us ? ” 

Just then the ladies got more frightened than ever. 
The youngest lady screamed, and, I thought, looked to- 
w'ard me. I sprang forward — I felt more like a man 
than I had ever before done. 

“ Let go your hold,” I exclaimed, in a tone of autlior- 
ity to the fellow who had his hand on the fair girl’s arm. 

If one of you dares to interfere with these ladies, I will 
have him up before the commodore, and he’ll make short 
work with the matter.” 

The fellow still looked defiant. 

“ Let go,” I again shouted, rushing at him with my 
dirk. 

What I might have done I do not know, but at that 
16 * 


174 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN, 

moment a bullet struck him in the head, and knocked 
him over. 

It was supposed I had shot the man, and a good many, 
even of his party, siding with me and Mr. Johnson, 
the ladies were released. 

I made signs to the ladies, and endeavored to assure 
them in French that they were safe. 

“ I speak English,” said the young lady. “ Thank 
you — thank you very much.” 

The Dutch soldiers had in the mean time thrown down 
their arms and taken to flight. The shot which had 
wounded the man was nearly the last fired. The Dutch 
flag was hauled down, and the shouts of our men pro- 
claimed that in about four hours we had captured, with 
the loss of three killed and fourteen wounded, one of the 
strongest fortresses in the West Indies. 

I was determined not to lose sight of the ladies till I 
had placed them in safety. I found that the youngest was 
the niece of the governor, and that she had a sister and 
her mother with her. The governor’s daugliter, a bux- 
om-looking damsel, was also of the party. I conducted 
them all to Captain Lydiard who commanded the expe- 
dition, and their carriages and horses being found in the 
fort, he ordered that they should be conveyed back into 
the town under an escort. I was highly delighted when 
I found that I might accompany it. Perigal had com- 
mand. The British flag was flying from every fort and 
ship in the harbor, and many of the worthy burghers, 
when their schedain-steeped senses returned and they 
opened their eyes, as they looked out of their windows, 
could not make out what had occurred. We were 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 175 

treated with the greatest respect by everybody we meh 
and the ladies endeavored to show their gratitude by 
every means in their power. As soon as we had seen 
them to their own homes we were to return on board. 
I found that the young lady’s name was Essa von Frau» 
lich. 

You will come and see us very often, Mr. Merry," 
she exclaimed in a very foreign accent, though her 
phraseology was pretty correct. “We want to show how 
much we love you, and we make nice cake for you, and 
many other good things.” 

The elder ladies were more demonstrative, and 
wanted to kiss me, which I thought very derogatory to 
my dignity. 

I shook hands warmly with them all round, and as I 
began with Miss Essa, I thought it incumbent on me 
to finish oflf with her. 

The towns-people were very civil as we made our 
way down to the boats. Indeed, they did not seem to 
mind at all what had happened. It was all the same 
to them which flag flew over the forts. The English 
had gained a character for justice and honesty, and they 
were inclined to look upon us as likely to prove good 
customers, and were, in fact, very glad to see us. They, 
indeed, probably thought that it was a pity any opposi- 
tion whatever should have been offered to our entrance. 

Our work was not entirely accomplished. There was 
still a fort of some strength, a few miles from the town. 
A party of marines and blue-jackets was marched out 
to take it, which they very speedily did, as the com- 
mandant offered no resistance, but, hearing that hia 


176 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN, 

chief had capitulated, yielded on being summoned. 
Thus, by noon, the whole of a rich and fertile island, 
containing forty-five thousand inhabitants, and well 
fortified, was in our possession, while the whole force 
we could muster among the four frigates was twelve 
hundred men. With these we had to man our prizes, 
to garrison the forts, to protect the country, and to 
keep the town in order. 

Captain Brisbane was, I must say, a host in himself. 
He was a fine tall man, with very popular manners ; 
and though he showed that he would not allow tricks to 
be played, he ingratiated himself wonderfully with all 
classes. He took great pains to conceal from the Dutch 
the paucity of our numbers, and hinted that as long as 
the inhabitants behaved themselves he would keep his 
troops on board instead of quartering them on the town. 

These troops were represented by the idlers of the 
different ships, and occasionally seamen, dressed up in 
red coats and made to parade the deck. He formed also 
a body-guard of all the marines who could ride, and 
with them at his heels he made a point of galloping 
about the country and visiting the outposts. He never 
appeared abroad without being accompanied by them. 
They were known as Captain Brisbane’s Imrse-marines. 
Though horse-marines are often spoken of, it was the 
only time I ever saw such a body either on shore or 
afloat. 

We had a very active time of it, every one doing 
double work, and endeavoring to make it appear as if 
we had double our real numbers. The lieutenants usea 
to put on the marine oflScers’ undress uniforms and all 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 177 

would go on shore together. Fitzgerald unconsciously 
very nearly betrayed the trick, for his remarkable 
features were not easily forgotten, and on the first day 
he appeared in his military character, we saw the 
Dutchmen, as well as some ladies, eyeing him narrowly. 
They could not conceive it possible two such ugly 
fellows should be found in the same squadron. 

Fortunately Mr. Bryan was with us, and having 
plenty of presence of mind, he- began to talk about 
Fitzgerald’s naval brother who remained on board. 

Captain Collyer, however, thought it prudent to 
prohibit him from again appearing in a military charac- 
ter on shore. Mr. Fitzgerald could not understand 
this, as he was not at all aware of the peculiarity of his 
own physiognomy, and declared that he was very hardly 
treated. 

I was very anxious to get on shore, that I might pay 
my promised visit to Essa von Fraulich and her 
relatives. As bigger men were wanted on shore, and as 
the midshipmen were found capable of performing 
various duties in the ship. Gray and I and others were 
much to our disappointment, compelled to stay on board. 
Mr. Johnson also remained on board. 

“I take it as an especial compliment,” he observed. 
“ Th'e fact is, you see, Mr. Merry, that I am worth five 
or six men at least in the ship, and, in appearance at 
least, little more than one out of it, and so I am doomed 
to remain, while others are enjoying themselves on terra 
firma.” 


178 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


CHAPTER VIIL 

In consequence of so many of the officers being on 
shore, the boatswain had charge of a watch. He trod 
the deck with considerable dignity, and a stranger com- 
ing on board would undoubtedly have taken him for the 
captain. 

I was in his watch, and as there was nothing to do 
when it occurred at night, except to see that the sentries 
were on the look-out, that the anchors were not drag- 
ging, or the ship on fire, I always got him into conver- 
sation ; and one evening. Gray and Spellman having 
joined us, we begged him to go on with the account of 
his adventures at the North Pole, of which for a long 
time we had heard nothing. 

“ I would oblige you, with all my heart, young gen- 
tlemen, if I could but recollect where I left oflf,” he an- 
swered, in a well-pleased tone. “ Let me see. Was I 
living on the top of an iceberg, or dancing reels with 
Polar bears, or ” 

No, Mr. Johnson, you had just found your did ship- 
mates, and were living quietly with them in their winter 
quarters, waiting for a ship to take you oflf.” 

“ So I was — ah — well — ” said the boatswain. “ As 
I was telling you, when I last broke off in my roost 
veracious narrative, after we had talked on for a week, 
our tongues began to get somewhat tired, and we then 
remembered that it would be necessary to make prepa* 


MARMADTJKF MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 179 

rations for our departure from this somewhat inhospita- 
ble shore, for as to a vessel touching there to take us off, 
that event was not likely to occur. I found that my 
companions had commenced building a boat, but as they 
did not understand carpentering as I did, it was fortunate 
for them that 1 arrived in time to lend them a hand, or 
they would infallibly have gone to the bottom as soon 
as they had ventured out on the foaming waves of the 
Polar sea. June was advancing, and the ice began to 
move perceptibly at a distance from the shore ; and as 
the icebergs knocked and fell against each other, the 
crash was truly awful. I can only liken it to what we 
might suppose produced by a set of monster nine-pins 
tumbled about by a party of gigantic Dutchmen. I 
must relate one more event, which served to convince 
my companions of the perfect correctness of my state- 
ments. One night, as I was retiring to rest, I heard 
footsteps approaching our hut, and, looking out, I saw 
an immense white bear, sniffing up the air as if he smelt 
something he fancied for supper. Rousing my com- 
panions, who had already turned in, I seized my gun, 
with the intention of knocking him on the head, when, 
as he turned his face, I recognized an expression I had 
met before. On his nearer approach I saw that he had 
but one eye, and I felt convinced that he was the iden- 
tical bear I had knocked over close to the Pole and left 
for dead, with a steak out of his rump. He made to- 
ward me, grinding his teeth and flashing his one eye 
terrifically, with thoughts of vengeance ; but I retreated 
backwards, and had just time to slam the door in his 
face, jamming in one of his paws, before he could grasp 


l80 MAKMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAJS. 

me ii. his deadly embrace. Thus he was caught in a 
trap, but his struggles to free himself were so tremen- 
dous that I thought he would have carried away the 
whole hut with him, but my friends coming to my aid, 
we made fast a strong rope round the lower joint of his 
paw, and secured it to a stout piece of timber which 
formed part of the foundation of the structure. We 
then opened the door a little, when he, of course, put in 
the other paw, which we secured in the same way, and 
thus had him fast. At first he was very furious and 
growled tremendously, but by giving him a piece of 
roasted meat to suck at the end of a ramrod, we tamed 
him by degrees, and he must have seen that we had no 
evil intentions toward him. By slacking the ropes we 
were in a short time able to shut the door, keeping him 
outside. We then went to sleep, and he only now and 
then disturbed us by an angry growl as he felt the ropes 
cutting his wrists. 

“ By a judicious system of starvation, and by gently 
administering food, we so tamed him that we were able 
to examine him for a further verification of my suspi- 
cions. Had my companions before entertained any 
doubts as to the truth of my story, all such vanished 
when they discovered that, though the wound had per- 
fectly closed where I had cut out the steak, the cicatrice 
was there, and skin perfectly denuded of hair. By our 
pursuing the system I have described for some time. 
Bruin became so tame that he would follow us about 
like a dog, while he exhibited his affection by every 
possible means. T shall never forget the grief he exhib- 
ited when he saw us working away at our boat, and 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSIHRJIIAN. 181 

making preparations for our departure. Tears fell from 
his eyes and trickled down his shaggy bre^t, his bosom 
heaved with sighs, and he hung his paws as he stood 
before us, watching our proceedings in the most senti- 
mental manner. 

“ When at length all was ready to make sail, we had 
to secure him, as w^e had before done, to the beam in 
our hut, lest he should scramble into our boat and insist 
on accompanying us. We knew that with his usual 
sagacity he could very easily release himself after we 
were gone. We then hurried on board, shoved off, and 
stood out to sea. We soon found that we had number- 
less dangers to encounter. Sometimes huge whales rose 
up and nearly capsized us, and there was always a ter- 
rible risk of running foul of icebergs. One day, indeed, 
there was a thick fog, and we were standing on with a 
fair breeze, when the bow of the boat came with such 
terrific impetus against one that she slid right up it for 
thirty feet at least, and did not stop till she sunk into a 
deep hollow, from which it seemed impossible to extri- 
cate her. There we were, like three young birds in a 
nest, floating about at the mercy of the winds and 
waves. My companions were in despair, but I cheered 
their spirits by assuring them that all would come right 
at last, as I knew it would, though, as it turned out, not 
in the way I expected. 

“ Leaving my companions to cut a channel in the ice 
to launch our boat, I ascended to a higher part of the 
berg to look out for a sail, hoping that some whaler 
might be in the neighborhood. While there I heard 
a cry of despair, and to my dismay I beheld our boat 
10 


l82 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

rapidly gliding down the iceberg. She reached the 
water in safety, and with canvas set, vdiich it was, I 
own, lubberly to have allowed, she sailed off before the 
wind, leaving us on our treacherous island. 

“ Fortunately my companions had taken the fish- 
hooks and other things out of the boat to lighten her, 
or we might have perished ; but we managed with the 
hooks to catch an abundance of fish to supply our 
wants. We had to eat it raw, but that was nothing. 
Why, once upon a time, I paid a visit to one of the 
South Sea Islands, where the king, queen, and all the 
court devour live fish ; and, what is more, they are 
taught, when brought up to table, to jump down the 
throats of their majesties of their own accord, so as to 
give them as little trouble as possible. It is one of the 
strongest marks of devotion with which I ever met. 

“ When my companions saw the boat sailing away, 
the}'^ were in despair, and I had great difficulty in pre- 
venting them from throwing themselves into the sea, 
and in restoring their spirits. Certainly, an iceberg 
is not the pleasantest spot for a location. At length, 
one day, I saw something like a ship’s long-boat in 
the distance. It approached the iceberg in the most 
mysterious manner. We watched it eagerly. It was 
not a boat, after all, but a log of timber, and — you 
need not believe me if you’d rather not, but it’s a 
fact — there was our pet bear Bruin towing the timber 
at the rate of six knots an hour. I hurried down to 
the bottom of the berg to receive him. Poor fellow ! 
he was so tired with his exertions that he could scarcely 
climb up out of the water, and when, to exliibit his 


MAKMAUUKL MKIIRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 183 


affection, he attempted to embrace us, he fell forward 
on all fours, and very nearly rolled over into the sea 
again. As we sat by his side, all he had strength to 
do was to lick our hands and moan mournfully. Talk of 
the affection of a dog ! I should think that was as strong 
a mark of affection and sagacity as any dog could give. 
Let others beat it if they can. Having loosed Bruin 
from the ropes and secured the log of timber, which 
was the one, it must be understood, to which we had 
secured him in the hut, and which he had dragged 
out with main force, we set to work to catch him a 
dinner of fish. This was the least we could do, and 
we were so fortunate in our sport that we were able 
to give him an abundant meal. He enjoyed it mucli, 
and quickly revived. To show his gratitude, he soon 
began to play off his usual extraordinary antics for our 
amusement, such as dancing a jig, standing on his head, 
or rolling himself up into a ball. Suddenly it struck 
me that he had brought the log of timber to enable us 
to escape from our perilous situation. I consulted with 
my companions, and they agreed with me, that if we 
harnessed Bruin to the log, he would undoubtedly tow 
us to a place of safety. We made signs to him, and he 
evidently understood our purpose, for he allowed tlie 
ropes to be thrown over his shoulders and secured to 
the log of timber, and when we had placed our stores 
on it and taken our seats, he slipped gently into the 
water, and I holding the reins, off he bravely swam 
with his snout to the southward. It was far from 
agreeable work, for our feet were wet, and we were 
obliged to sit perfectly quiet ; but still it was better than 


184 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


remaining on the iceberg, and we contrived to pass our 
time tolerably well with smoking, eating, and catching 
fish. The seas in those latitudes abound in fish, so that 
we were able to feed poor Bruin abundantly on them, 
or he would never have performed the hard work he 
had got through. 

“ At last a sail hove in sight, toward which I guided 
Bruin. I believe otherwise he would have carried us 
safely to some southern coast, toward which he was 
steering. When the people in the vessel first saw us, 
they would not believe that we were human beings, 
though, after we had hailed pretty lustily in English, 
they hove their craft to, and told us to come on board. 

“ Accordingly, securing the timber astern, we three 
climbed up the side, followed by Bruin, and were not a 
little amused by hearing the mate tell the captain, who 
was ill in his cabin, that there were four men just 
picked up. He had taken the bear for a human being, 
— there was so little difference in appearance between 
any of us. Ha, ha, ha ! It was some time, too, before 
the mistake was discovered. The mate was disappointed, 
for they were short-handed, and he fancied Bruin would 
prove a fine heavy-sterned fellow for pulling and haul- 
ing. So he did when I taught him, and he would fist 
the end of a rope, and run the topsails up the masts 
with as much ease as half-a-dozen of the crew could 
together. The vessel was the Highland Lass, bound 
from Halifax to Greenock, where we arrived in three 
weeks in perfect health and spirits. One of my com- 
panions, James Hoxton, took care of honest Bruin, who, 
not being accustomed to a civilized country, would have 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 185 

been rather adrift by himself, and would scarcely have 
been treated as a distinguished foreign.-3r. Hoxton 
carried him about the country as a sight, and used to 
give an account of our adventures, which very much 
astonished all the people who heard them. Bruin liked 
the amusement, for he was fond of travelling ; but I was 
very sorry to part with him, for he had become the most 
amiable and civilized of bears, though on our first intro- 
duction to each other, I should not have supposed that 
such would ever have been the case.” 

“ Is that all, every bit of it, true, Mr. Johnson ? ” 
asked Spellman, with mouth agape. 

“ Did you ever see a polar bear, Mr. Spellman ? ” 
demanded the boatswain in an offended tone. 

“ Yes,” answered Spellman, “ once at a show.” 

“ Then let me ask, young gentleman, why you should 
have any doubts as to the truth of my narrative ? ” 
said Mr. Johnson, drawing himself up and casting an 
indignant glance at the midshipman. 

“ Let me tell you that a thousand things have occurred 
to me, a hundred thousand times more wonderful than 
that, during every part of my life ; and some day, if you 
catch me in the humor for talking, perhaps I will tell 
you about them. Tve only time just now to tell you of 
another somewhat strange adventure which befell me. 

“ Not finding a ship at Glasgow to suit my fancy, I 
went to Liverpool, where I shipped on board a South 
Sea whaler, called the Diddleus. She was a fine craft, 
measuring full six hundred tons. I won’t tell you just 
now some of the curious events =- which occurred before 
we reached the South Seas. Our success was not very 
16 * 


iy6 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

satisfactory. We met with various accidents, and 
among others we lost our first mate, who was killed by 
a blow from a wjite whale’s tail in a flurry, and as the 
captain had the discernment to perceive that there was 
not a man on board equal to me, he appointed me to the 
vacant berth. I little thought how soon I should get a 
step higher. The captain, poor fellow, was enormously 
fat, and as he was one day looking into the copper to 
watch how the blubber was boiling, his foot slipped on 
the greasy deck, and in he fell head foremost. No one 
missed him at the moment, and he was stirred up and 
turned into oil before any one knew what had happened. 
The accident indeed was only discovered by our finding 
his buttons, and the nails of his shoes at the bottom of 
the copper. In consequence of this sad catastrophe, I 
became master of the good ship Diddleus. Either 
through my judgment, or good luck, it does not become 
me to say which, we very soon began to fill our casks 
at a rapid rate. 

“ We had, of course, always our boats ready to go in 
chase of a fish at a moment’s notice. One day two of 
them were away, and had killed, dead to windward of us, 
a large whale, toward which I was endeavoring to beat 
up, when the look-out man from the crow’s nest, a sharp- 
sighted fellow, Jerry Wilkins by name, hailed the deck 
to say that there was land in sight on our lee bow. I 
knew very well that there wasn’t, and couldn’t be, but 
when I went aloft and looked out myself, I was dumb- 
foundered, for there I saw a dark long island, with what 
I took for a number of trees growing on it like weeping 
willows. Presently the island began to grow larger and 


MAUMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 1^57 

larger, and to extend all round the horizon to leeward. 
I immediately ordered the lead to be hove, expecting to 
find that some current or other had been sweeping us 
toward some unknown island not down in the charts, 
but to the surprise of all of us there was no bottom. I 
now cracked on all sail I could set, to beat out of the 
bay, as it seemed to be, but the wind was so light that 
we made but little way, and as I looked out I saw the 
line gradually encircling us more and more, so that I 
must own I was altogether puzzled to know what it 
was. 

“ The whale and the boats were now about a mile off 
when suddenly the island seemed to rise close to them, 
forming a considerable elevation. While we were 
watching what next would happen, the boats cast off 
their tow lines, and pulled like mad toward us. They 
had good reason to pull hard, I can assure you, for one 
end of what we took to be the island rose right out of 
the water, full fifty feet at least, and quickly approaching 
the whale, the mighty fish disappeared under it, and 
immediately the elevation sank to its former level. 
Directly after this, one of the crew said he saw a large 
fire at the end of the island, but when I took my glass, 
I ascertained that it was nothing more nor less than an 
immense eye. To give an idea of its size, I may state, 
with due care not to exaggerate, that I saw fish of the 
size of full grown cod, swimming about in the lower lid 
A short examination convinced me that what I saw was 
the head of some mighty marine monster, nothing more 
nor less than the great sea-serpent, and that the eleva- 
tion I had seen was his upper jaw. The crews of tha 


188 marmaduke merry, the jiidshipman. 

boats confirmed the opinion when they came on board, 
for they stated that when they were close to what they 
believed was the end of a coral island, they saw it open 
slowly, while formidable rows of teeth, every one of the 
size of a heavy gun, and a tongue twice as large as a 
whale, appeared. When they saw this they thought it 
time to cut and run ; nor could I blame them, for had 
they not, they would have been swallowed with the 
whale. 

“ Some slight idea may be formed of the size of the 
monster from its having swallowed a white sperm whale 
whole, with half a dozen harpoons in her, and yet it did 
not even blink its eyes. I confess that I did not like the 
position we were in, for, as I had no doubt that it must 
possess a very considerable appetite, I thought it just 
possible that it might take it into its head to swallow us 
up also. To my great satisfaction, however, the monster 
remained stationary — probably it found the harpoons 
in the whale’s back rather indigestible. 

I also considered that, without any vicious intention, 
should it take it into its head to be frisky, it might do us 
considerable damage. 

“ After consulting with my mates it was agreed that 
at all events we should, if possible, avoid the jaws of the 
monster. We accordingly steered for the point where 
we believed its tail was to be found, but after standing: 
on for an hour or more we appeared to be no nearer it 
than we were when we were within a mile of its head. 
Not only was this the case, but there could be but little 
doubt that it was curling its tail round so as to com- 
pletely encircle us. 


MABMA.DUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 189 

“You, I dare say, have all heard of the dreadful 
passage between Sicily and the coast of Italy. On one 
side there are some frightful rocks, over which the sea 
roars like thunder. They are called the rocks of Scylla, 
and if a ship gets on them she is dashed to pieces in a 
quarter less than no time. On the other side is the 
awful whirlpool of Charybdis, which draws ships from 
miles toward it, and sucks them under the water like 
straws ; so I’ve heard say, but as I’ve not seen it done, 
I can’t vouch for the truth of the story. If you keep 
on one side you’ve a chance of being cast away on the 
rocks, if on the other, of being sucked down by the 
whirlpool. We were now much in the same condition. 
If we stood on too long on one tack, we ran a risk of 
sailing down the serpent’s mouth ; if on the other, of 
getting an ugly slap with his tail — supposing that he 
had got a tail anywhere in the distance to slap us with. 

“ As I swept the horizon with my glass, his monstrous 
body appeared on every side of us, except dead to 
windward, where there was a clear opening, toward 
which point we were doing our best to beat up. Even 
that small space appeared to be narrowing. I watched 
it with no little anxiety — so did the mate, and so did 
Jerry Wilkins. Jerry was the first to discover that the 
serpent had a tail. 

“‘I see it — I see it,’ sung out Jerry. ‘ For all the 
world like the Falls of Niagara dancing a hornpipe.’ 

“ It was a fact. There was no doubt of that ; and 
what did the monster do but finish by clapping his tail 
into his mouth, and then he lay just like a big cod-fish 
on a fishmonger’s stall. It was a fashion we c».ncluded 


190 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE 3111 SHIPJIAN. 

he had when he wished to bask in the sun, but a very 
inconvenient one to us just then. 

“We were, indeed, in a pretty fix, for we could not 
tell how long he might take to sleep ; judging by his 
size, a year or so would have sufficed merely for a 
morning’s nap, and we might all be starved before we 
could hope to get free. We were in a complete lake, 
do ye see, and the Diddleus was like a child’s toy float- 
ing in the middle of it. It made us feel very small, I 
can assure you. I considered that the best thing we 
could do, under the circumstances, would be to heave to 
near his head, so that, should he in his sleep let his tail 
slip from between his teeth, we might have time to beat 
round his jaws. 

“ When, however, we got near his head, the crew 
were so frightened with its terrific appearance, that I 
saw that there would be a regular mutiny, or that in 
their terror they would all be jumping overboard, if I 
did not bear up again pretty quickly. 

“We had an old fellow on board, Joe Hobson by 
name, who was considered an oracle by the crew, and 
he added to their fears by telling them that he had often 
heard of these big sea-serpents before,, and that, as they 
usually slept a dozen years or so on a stretch, we should 
be certainly starved before we could get out. I had, 
however, no fear about starving, because I knew we 
could catch fish enough for our support, and I had a 
plan by which I hoped, if he did sleep on, we might 
escape. To occupy the time I ran down alongside the 
head and shoulders, and then beat up again round by 
the tail end, and this survey, though we had a strong 
breeze, occupied fully three days. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 191 


“ I now resolved to put into execution my plan, which 
was simply to cut a channel for the ship right through 
the serpent’s back. I considered that one deep enough 
to tloat the ship would be like a mere scratch on the 
skin to him, and would not wake him. I took, how- 
ever, a precaution few would have thought off. The 
surgeon had a cask of laudanum, so, lowering it into a 
boat, with a few brave fellows as volunteers, we pulled 
right up to the serpent’s mouth. I had a line fast to 
the bung. Watching our opportunity, when the serpent 
lifted his jaws* a little, we let the cask float into his 
mouth. I then pulled the line — the bung came out, 
and the laudanum, of course, ran down his throat. 

“ Now, I do not mean to say that under ordinary cir- 
cumstances that quantity could have had any effect on 
so large a beast, for there was only a hogshead of it ; 
but the doctor observed he placed some hopes of the 
opiate working from the creature being totally unac- 
customed to such a dose. 

“ I had reason to think that it took immediate effect, 
for before an hour had elapsed, he snored so loudly that 
we could scarcely hear ourselves speak, though we were 
fully a mile distant from his head. I now made sail 
for the middle of his body, where I judged that there 
would be more fat and less sense of feeling. It took us 
a day to reach the spot ; then heaving the ship to, we 
lowered the boats to land on the serpent’s back. It 
was, I assure you, nervous work at first, and we had no 
little difficulty in climbing up his sides, which were un- 
commonly slippery ; but we succeeded at last, and forth- 
with set to work with knives and saws to cut into his 


iy2 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

back. At first we made but little progress, in conse- 
quence of the barnacles, which covered his skin to the 
depth of some feet, but when we got fairly through the 
skin we found to our great joy that there was as good 
blubber as we had ever cut out of a fat whale. We, 
therefore, made up our fires, and as we cut out the flesh 
we sent it on board to be boiled. So hard did we work, 
that in ten days we had cut a channel deep enough to 
admit the ship, and had besides got a full cargo of the 
finest oil that had ever been seen. 

“ We accordingly hoisted in the boats, made all sail, 
and ran smack on to the very centre of the serpent’s 
back. We had, however, not got quite over when, our 
keel tickling him, I suppose, he awoke partially, and let- 
ting his tail slip out of his mouth, off he went in a north- 
erly direction, at the rate of forty knots an hour, with 
the good ship Diddleus on his back. 

“We quickly clewed up the sails, or our masts would 
to a certainty have gone over the side. On he went in 
this way for three days, when the opium again making 
him drowsy, he put his tail into his mouth, as a little 
child does its thumb, and once more went off to sleep. 
The movement caused the* ship to glide off into the sea, 
outside the circle, and there being a strong southerly 
wind, you may be sure we lost no time in making all 
sail to get clear of so awkward a customer. The people 
set up a shout of joy when they saw him like a large 
island boating far astern of the ship. I ordered them 
to be silent lest they should wake him up, and told them 
not to be too sure that we were yet altogether clear of 
him. As it turned out, I was right. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 193 

“ For two days we sailed on without any thing unu- 
sual happening, and the crew had begun to recover their 
usual spirits, when, just as it had gone two bells in the 
middle watch, the first mate called me up, in great 
alarm, to say that there were two glaring lights right 
astern of us, coming up fast with the ship. A strong hot 
wind, and an almost overpowering smell of sulphur con- 
vinced me of the dreadful truth ; — we were pursued by 
tbe big sea-serpent. I saw that there was nothing to 
be done but to run for it, so we made all sail, studden 
sails alow and aloft, and as the Diddleus was a good one 
to go, away we bowled with the monster in hot chase 
after us. And now, young gentlemen, as my watch is 
up, and Mr. Fitzgerald will be on deck presently to re- 
lieve me, I must bring my tale of the big sea-serpent to 
an end for the present. What happened next I’ll tell 
you another night ; I think you’ll agree that there are 
not many men afloat who have seen stranger sights than 
I have ; and yet I don’t say, mind you, that the one I 
have just told you about, is the strangest by very far — 
ha ! ha ! ha ! I should think not.” 

When the watch was relieved, *we all turned in, and, 
though I went to sleep quickly enough, I must own that 
I was all night long dreaming that I was on board the 
Diddleus, chased by the big sea-serpent. The next day 
I got leave to go on shore to pay my respects to the 
governor’s family. I had never been made so much of 
as I was by those Dutch ladies, even during my last 
visit home, and Miss Essa and I became more and more 
intimate. 1 thought her, indeed, the most charming 
young lady I had ever seen, and I do not know how 
17 


194 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

affairs would have ended, had I not had cause to suspect 
that, though she treated me with very sisterly regard, 
she still looked upon me only as a young midshipman, 
and a mere boy. At first I was very indignant, and 
thought her very ungrateful ; but when I told my griefs 
to Gray, he laughed, and assured me that when I went 
home I should consider my own sisters very far superior. 
I must own'he was right. 

We held the whole island of Curacoa in subjection for 
six months without any reinforcements, and at length 
were relieved by the arrival of troops from Jamaica. 
We sailed shortly after for that island. Having refitted 
at Port Royal, we were once more at sea on the look-out 
for enemies. 

I had read and heard of so many gallant things being 
done, that I became very anxious also to do something 
to distinguish myself. I talked the matter over with 
Gray. He had the same feeling, and we agreed that 
we would seize the first opportunity of doing something, 
though what we Avould do would depend upon circum- 
stances. Week after week passed away, and the oppor- 
tunity we looked for did not occur. At last, one day, 
when close in with one of the numerous small islands 
of those seas, Mr. Bryan called me up, and ordered me 
to take command of the second cutter, with six seamen 
and a couple of marines, and to go on shore to collect 
sand for the use of the ship. I asked if Gray might ac- 
company me. 

“ To keep each other out of mischief, I suppose,” he 
observed. “ Yes, he may go, but, remember there’s an 
order against taking arms with you. It is feared that 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 195 

you youngsters will be running your heads into danger 
if you. have the means of fighting.” 

There was nothing very romantic or interesting in 
prospect for us, but still it was something to get away 
from the ship, and to feel that, in a certain sense, we were 
to be our own masters for a few hours. Billy Wise, the 
captain’s steward, was also sent in the boat. I have not 
mentioned Billy for some time. He had not, however, 
improved in sense since he came to sea this time, but 
was continually committing some extraordinary blunder 
or other. Toby Bluff also accompanied us. The boat 
was manned and ready to shove off, but Gray had not 
appeared, so I ran up the side to call him, leaving Billy 
in charge. I was not gone a minute, for Gray, who was 
waiting for a basket to collect shells, at once joined me. 
The wind was light, and while the frigate, under easy 
sail, stood off shore, we pulled toward it. 

We had not got far from the ship, when a piece of 
sail-cloth being kicked aside, I saw under it several 
ship’s muskets. I counted five of them. I found also 
that there was a supply of ammunition and half a dozen 
cutlasses. How they came there was a mystery. No 
one knew, at least no one would tell. Billy Wise said 
tliat all sorts of things had been handed into the boat, 
and that the men had told him that they were spades to 
dig sand. Gray and I agreed that, though we could not 
have ventured to disobey orders and take arms, since 
the muskets were there, if we should meet with an en- 
emy, it would of course be our duty to use them. The 
chances, however, of our falling in with one seemed 
very remote. 


i96 MAEMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

The heat was considerable, but not quite so hot as 
Mr. Johnson had declared we should find it. We had 
a long pull, however, and as the men were somewhat 
exhausted, I allowed them to take some rest and re- 
freshment before they began to load the boat. Of 
course it was not the sand close down to the sea which 
was required, but that which, being constantly exposed 
to the effects of the sun and wind, had become fine and 
white. The operation of carrying it to the boat there- 
fore took some time. Gray and I had brought some 
cold beef and biscuit and rum and water, and so we sat 
ourselves down in the shade of a clump of palm trees 
to discuss our provisions, and try and get cool. Some 
of the men then asked leave to bathe, and I told them 
that they might do so, warning them to beware of sharks 
and not to get out of their depth. 

They had been frolicking about for some time, while 
Billy Wise was sitting down at some little distance oflf 
watching them. Suddenly the thought seized him that 
he too would have a bathe, but he fancied some rocks 
further away which might serve as a dressing-room. 
The other men now began to go on with the duty we 
had come on. Toby Bluff*, meantime, was strolling 
along the shore looking for shells for Gray and me. 
Suddenly we heard him shouting, — 

“ Help ! help ! There’s Billy Wise drowning. Some 
beast has got hold of him ! ’* 

We rushed toward the spot where poor Billy had last 
been seen. There was a considerable commotion in the 
water. Now a leg, now an arm appearing. We ran 
on. Two of the men who had accompanied us dashed 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 197 

into the sea, as we also did, and we all made our way 
up to the spot just as poor Billy had disappeared under 
the water. We could see his limbs, however, and, seiz- 
ing hold of him, we all dragged away and brought hinsi 
to the surface. The cause of his disappearance was 
explained. Round his right leg and arm, and indeed 
his neck, were entwined the long tentaculae or arms of 
what I fancy was a huge squid. To clear him of the 
horrible mass seemed impossible. Indeed it appeared 
as if the poor fellow was already dead. We shouted 
for the rest of the men, and with their assistance we 
dragged Billy and the creature into shallow water. The 
monster would not let go, and we all set to work with 
our knives to cut it away arm by arm, and feeler by 
feeler. Till this was done, there was evidently no 
chance of our being able to restore animation. As it 
was, there seemed to be very little prospect of reviving 
the poor fellow. At length, however, we got him clear 
of the horrible mass, which dropped into the sea, and 
none of us were inclined to stop and examine it. I never 
have been quite certain what it really was. The sand 
was hot enough to hatch a turtle’s egg, so we laid Billy 
down on it and set to work to rub him all over his 
body. After a time an eyelid moved, and then his 
limbs began to twitch, and that encouraged us to rub 
harder and harder, till at length, to my infinite relief, he 
breathed, and, getting rid of some of the salt water he 
had swallowed, he sat up and stared round him, exclaim- 
ing, “ Hallo, mates, have you caught the big fish ? I 
thought as how I’d a gripe of him myself.” Billy nev- 
er heard the end of his big fish. When he attempted 
17* 


198 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

to put on his clothes, he complained that he was stung 
all over, and so the men carried him just as he was to 
the boat. They had, however, no little difficulty in 
keeping him there, for when his hitherto impeded cir- 
culation was completely restored, the stinging sensation 
increased, and made him feel that only a plunge in the 
sea would cure him. This event had delayed us con- 
siderably. We ought to have taken our departure from 
the island even before Billy had begun to bathe, and so, 
when I looked at my watch, I found that we were two 
hours at least behind our time. At last we shoved off, 
but where the frigate was we could not tell. Gray 
thought that she must have drifted round to the other 
side of the island. We had been directed to keep a 
look out for her, but had neglected to do so. Then it 
became a question to which side she had drifted. To 
ascertain, we lay on our oars, and found a current run- 
ning to the east, and so decided that she must have gone 
in that direction. We now pulled merrily along, sure 
of soon falling in with her. Billy Wise was the only 
unhappy one of the party. He could not tell what was 
going to happen to him, till the men told him he must 
have fallen into a hedge of sea-nettles, and that he 
would soon get well again. This comforted him consid- 
erably, and so he consented to put on his clothes and 
sit quiet. 

It was now growing dusk, when, as we rounded a 
point. Gray exclaimed that he saw a sail ahead. 1 
jumped upon the seat, and made out that she was a 
schooner standing off the land. 

“ She hasn’t much wind,” Gray remarked. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 199 

“We might overhaul her,” said 1. 

“We ought to do so,” remarked Gray ; “ she may be 
an enemy.” 

“ We’ve got arms, sir,” said one of the men. 

“ And ammunition,” added another. 

“ Many a rich prize has been taken by a boat’s crew,” 
observed the cockswain, the oldest man in the boat. 

“ Well, Gray, suppose we just pull up to her and 
ascertain what she is,” said I. 

“ With all my heart,” he answered ; “ it’s a pity, now 
we’ve got the muskets and ammunition, if we have the 
chance, that we should not make use of them.” 

I fully agreed with him. My only fear was that the 
schooner might, after all, not prove an enemy. The 
wind was dropping gradually — there was little doubt 
that we should get up to her. 

“ I suppose that the captain won’t mind much if she 
is an enemy and we attack her,” continued Gray. 
“ He’ll suspect, though, that we disobeyed orders, and 
had arms in the boat.” 

“ Not if we take her,” I answered. “ He’ll not ask 
questions. If we fail we shall get into a terrible row — 
we may count on that ; but we must take her, and it will 
stick a feather in our caps, and put some dollars in ctir 
pockets too.” 

We were pulling steadily on all this time. We got 
the muskets up, and ascertained that they were dry, and 
loading them, placed them on the thwarts ready for use. 
The schooner held her course. There was just wind 
enough to fill her sails, and no more. I felt convinced 
that she was French. I asked the cockswain, Ned Daw- 


200 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


lish, his opinion. He agreed with me, and tlioLiglit that 
she was a privateer. 

“ If so, she must be armed,” said I. “We will keep 
in her wake, and as in a short time she will not have 
steerage-way, she will be unable to bring her guns to 
bear on us.” 

The men were all highly delighted with our proposal. 
They must have anticipated some such chance when 
they smuggled the arms into the boat. 

Ned Dawlish took another look at the chase. 

“ She’s a French craft, and a privateer. I’ll bet any 
money,” he exclaimed, sitting down again to his oar. 

The crew now gave way with a will. The sooner we 
were up to her the better, because, of course, we knew 
that we must by this time be seen, and our intentions 
suspected. 

“ She carries three, or may-be four guns on a side,” 
observed Ned, looking over his shoulder. “ But that’s 
no odds, they can’t reach us.” 

His eagerness and courage animated the rest of the 
crew. How many men the chase carried we could not 
tell ; indeed, we did not consider. Not one of us enter- 
tained a doubt that we should take her. Our proposed 
plan of proceeding was very simple. We were to pull 
up alongside, jump on board, and, cutlass in hand, drive 
the enemy down the hatches, or into the sea if they would 
not yield. 

There was still some light left, and as we drew neai 
it appeared to me that the decks were somewhat crowd 
ed. I asked Gray what he thought. He agreed with 
me. Still it was too late to retreat. We had not got 


UIARMADUKE MEliUV, THE MiDouil'UAX. 201 

much further when bright flashes of flame burst from 
the stern, and, what we little expected, a shower of bul- 
lets rattled about us. 

“ Give way, lads, give way I ” shouted Ned Dawlish. 
“ We’!! lick the Johnny Crapeaus in spite of that.” 

The boat dashed on. We hoped to get alongside be- 
fore another volley was fired. In vain. Again a leaden 
shower rattled round our heads. Once more Ned Daw- 
lish shouted loudly. There was a deep groan, and he 
fell, with his face bent down, to the bottom of the boat. 
Gray seized his oar, and took his place. He had been 
shot in the back. Speed was every thing to us now. 
There must be a considerable number of small-arra men 
on board, I saw ; but even then it never occurred to me 
that we ought to turn tail. 

On we went. Still the enemy kept up a fire at us. 
Toby Bluff gave a sharp cry. A bullet had hit him, 
but he answered me when I spoke, and kept his seat. 
We had the muskets ready. I let go the tiller and 
seized one. Gray and Billy Wise and two other men 
did the same, and let fly among the enemy. 

In another instant we were under the schooner’s 
quarter. The bowman hooked on. Without asking 
leave, up we scrambled, and, cutlass in hand, in spite of 
boarding-pikes thrust at us, and pistols flashed in our 
faces, began to lay heartily about us among the very 
much astonished Frenchmen. 


202 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


CHAPTER IX. 

Ip the Frenchmen were very much astonished at 
finding us among them, we were not the less so on dis- 
covering the number of our opponents. Besides the 
Cl :w, we found ourselves engaged with thirty or forty 
soldiers ; but had there been more, it would have been 
the better for us, for so crowded were the schooner’s 
decks, that they impeded each other’s movements. By 
the suddenness of our rush, we had gained the after 
part of the vessel, and had killed or wounded half a 
dozen of the enemy before they knew exactly what to 
do. The bodies of these men served as a sort of ram- 
part, while the bowman of our boat, having secured 
her, climbed up the side to our support, thus allowing 
us a few seconds to look about. In the centre of a 
group of vociferating, gesticulating, grimace-making 
Frenchmen, some armed with muskets, others with 
swords and cutlasses, and others pistols and boarding- 
pikes, stood a tall, gaunt, soldier officer, eyeing us very 
sternly, and tugging hard to get a sword out of a long 
scabbard, while he kept screaming to his men, as I un- 
derstood, to annihilate the dogs of Englishmen, and 
to kick them into the sea. But though he kept shout- 
ing louder and louder, till his cries resembled the 
rabid howls of a wild beast, his soldiers found that 
though it might be easy to order them to kick five stout 
British seamen overboard, and two rather precocious 


MARMADUKE MERRY, tHE MIDSHIPMAN. 203 

midshipmen, it was not quite as easy for them to obey. 
I saw, too, that our only chance of success was to push 
on* without further delay. Had Mr, Johnson been with 
us, I should have felt less doubt as to the result of our 
‘^‘xploit. 

“ On, my lads ! ” I shouted, “ we must drive these 
T<''renchmen off the deck.” 

Gray echoed my words, as did another faint voice, 
and I found that Toby Bluff, in spite of his wound, had 
climbed on board the schooner, and was ready to do 
battle by my side. On we all pushed. A sturdy 
French seaman, on my left, raised his cutlass, while I 
was engaged with another on my right. I could just 
see, out of the corner of my left eye, his weapon de- 
scending, and fully believed that my last moment had 
come, for it was impossible to ward it off. Before, how- 
ever, the cutlass reached my head, there was the report 
of a pistol close to my ear, and my enemy tumbled 
over dead on the deck. Toby had saved my life, just 
as I had before saved the boatswain’s. We continued 
cutting and slashing away so furiously, that the French- 
men no longer attempted to contend against us. Jumping 
aside like a troop of monkeys, as we got among them, 
they tumbled over each other down the hatchways, the 
old officer with them ; whether he went of his own ac- 
cord, or could not help it, I was unable to tell. All I 
know is, that he disappeared with most of his army, the 
remainder of whom lay sprawling on deck or clinging to 
the bowsprit, while some of the crew had run up the 
rigging, and others had tumbled into the hold with the 
toldiers. Over those latter we took the liberty of clap- 


204 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

ping the hatches, while Billy Wise did the wisest thing 
he had been guilty of for a long time ; he pointed his 
musket at the men aloft, and intimated that he wcfuld 
shoot the first who attempted to descend. Some of 
them had pistols, but they had fortunately already fired 
them at us, and they were afraid of throwing them at 
our heads, lest Billy should put his threat into execu- 
tion. His adventure with the sea monster had evident- 
ly roused his wits, for he had besides this done good 
service in boarding, and several of the foe owed their 
fall to his sturdy arm. In less than five minutes from 
the time we sprang on board. Gray and I were shaking 
hands, as we stood on the hatch, with the Frenchmen 
below us. 

“I hope, though, that the Monsieurs won’t blow up 
the ship,” he observed ; “ they must begin to feel heartily 
ashamed of the way they have allowed us to take her 
from them.” 

“ No fear of it ; they are not the fellows for that,” I an- 
swered : “ but it is just possible that they may attempt 
to take her back again, so we must keep a very bright 
look-out to prevent them.” 

Gray agreed with me. 

“ I wish that I could talk to them, though,” he re- 
marked ; “ T don’t suppose that one of our party knows 
a word of French.” 

“ No ; we must learn, however, on the first opportu- 
nity,” said I. “ It would be very convenient, and very 
likely useful. If the captain had not known it, we 
should probably had been caught by the enemy’s fleet 
when we got among them.” 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 205 

The puzzle was now to settle how to manage with 
these prisoners. As we had only seven effectives, and 
they had more than forty, it was no slight task. Billy 
Wise, touching his hat, suggested that we should shoot 
them, or send them overboard with round shots at their 
heels, to swim ashore if they could ; but as that mode 
of proceeding was somewhat contrary to the customs of 
civilized warfare, we declined to adopt it, though un- 
doubtedly it would have solved our difficulties. We 
ultimately agreed that our best plan would be to get 
hold of all those on deck, and to lash their hands behind 
them, and then to summon a few at a time of those be- 
low to be treated in the same way. We soon had all 
those above deck secured. It seemed extraordinary 
that men should submit in so abject a manner to a party 
of men and boys. They appeared, indeed, entirely to 
have lost their wits. It shows what boldness and au- 
dacity will accomplish. However, it might have been 
the other way, and we might all have been knocked on 
the head, or tumbled down as prisoners into the French- 
man’s hold. Having accomplished this, we sent a hand 
to the helm, trimmed sails, though there was not much 
wind to fill them, and steered in the direction in which 
we hoped to fall in with the frigate. I must own that 
it was not till then that we thought of poor Ned Dawlish. 
We drew the boat alongside, and had him lifted on 
deck. We had some faint hopes that, though he lay so 
still, he might be alive, but his glazed eyes and stiffened 
limbs too plainly told us that his last fight was over, 
and that we should hear his cheery voice and hearty 
laugh no more. We then turned our attention to Toby 
18 


206 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

Bluff. He had shown himself a true hero, for though 
his wound must have given him intense pain, he had 
not given utterance- to a complaint or a single groan, 
but had endeavored to work away as if nothing was tlie 
matter with him. I had observed a good deal of blood 
about his dress, but it was not till I came to examine 
him that I found it had flowed from his own veins, and 
that his shirt and trowsers on one side were literally 
saturated. He was looking deadly pale, and would in a 
few seconds have fainted, had not Gray and I set to 
work to stanch the blood. We had not much experi- 
ence as surgeons, but we succeeded after some time. 

“Thank ye, sir; thank ye,” said Toby, his voice 
growing weaker every moment ; “ Til be up and at ’em 
again directly. I wants another pistol, please sir. I 
don’t know what tricks the Mounseers may be up to, 
and they shan’t hurt you if I can help it, that they 
shan’t. I shot one on ’em, and I’ll shoot another.” 

By this time his voice grew indistinct, and we began 
to be alai’ined about him. We happily had some rum 
and water left. We poured it down his throat, and it 
evidently revived him. We then placed him under 
charge of the helmsman, and continued our other duties. 

“Now, Merry, what’s to be done?” asked Gray, 
when we had got all who remained on deck in limbo. 
“ If those gentlemen down there find it’s hot, which I 
suspect they will very soon, they will begin to grow 
obstreperous, and try to force their way out. When 
men get desperate, they are somewhat difficult to man- 
age.” 

“ People cannot live without air, I fancy, and they 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 207 

cannot have much of it in the hold of this craft, which 
must naturally have a pretty strong smell of bilge* 
water,” I answered. “We must get them up somehow 
or other, so that they don’t overpower us. However, 
we may as well first get the dead men overboard; they 
are only in the way where they are.” 

“We should see to the wounded first,” remarked 
Gray, more thoughtful and humane than I was. “If 
we could get below, I dare say that we should find 
spirits and wine, and other good things for them.” 

The first man we came to had received the stroke of 
a British cutlass full on the top of his head, and did not 
require our assistance, so he was pitched overboard. 
The next was the man shot dead by Toby, so his body 
was treated in the same way. A third still breathed, 
but was bleeding profusely from a deep wound in his 
shoulder and a shot through his side. His case seemed 
hopeless, but we bound up his hurts and placed him 
against the bulwarks, under the shade of the sail. Two 
more we came to were dead, and two badly wounded. 
When we had done what we could for them, and placed 
them with their companions, we saw a fourth man, 
whom we supposed to be dead, right forward. When 
we lifted him up his limbs did not seem very stiff, nor 
could we see any wound about him. Billy Wise was 
assisting us. 

“ Why, sirs,” he exclaimed, “ the chap has got a big 
knife in his clutch, and those eyes of his ain’t dead 
men’s eyes, but may-be it will be just as well to pitch 
him overboard ; he can’t do no harm then, anyhow.” 

Billy was right, for as he spoke I saw the supposed 


208 MAKMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

dead man’s eyes twinkle. Calling another of our people 
to our assistance, we snatched the knife out of the man’s 
hand, and then lifting him up, we seemed as if about to 
heave him overboard. Indeed, Billy thought that was 
our object. The F renchman, however, did not approve 
of this, and gave strong evidence that he was alive, 
by struggling violently, and uttering with extraordinary 
volubility a variety of expletives on the matter. When 
we had frightened him a little, we lashed his arms 
behind him, and placed him with the rest of the prison- 
ers on deck. There could be little doubt that he had 
shammed dead, and kept a knife ready, with the hopes 
of releasing his companions while we were off our 
guard, and retaking the vessel. For this we could not 
blame him, so we treated him with the same care as 
the other prisoners — only, perhaps, we kept rather a 
sharper watch over him, lest he might attempt to play 
us some other trick. 

There were some casks of water on the deck, so we 
served some of it out to ourselves and our prisoners on 
deck alike. Most of the Frenchmen looked as if they 
were grateful, but the sulky countenances of some of 
them did not alter. However, that made no difference in 
our behavior, as Gray and I agreed it must have been 
terribly annoying to their feelings to find themselves 
thus hopelessly prisoners. 

We had done thus much, when we heard thumping 
and shouts from below. This was what we expected, 
but we had hoped to have fallen in with the frigate 
before it became absolutely necessary to open the 
haK'hes. We looked round. From the deck she was 


MARlStADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 209 

nowhere to be seen, so charging Gray and our men to 
watch the hatches — the companion and fore-hatch, as 
well as the main — I went aloft to obtain a wider 
circle, in the expectation that I might thus discover 
her. 

Not a sail was in sight. The low island with its 
groves of palm trees lay to the northward, and the wide 
expanse of the Caribbean Sea to the south. I scarcely 
knew what to do. I sat at the masthead to consider, 
but was speedily aroused by a shout from Gray. 

In a second, as the Yankees say, like greased light- 
ning, I slid down the topmast backstay on deck. A 
Frenchman’s head was protruding through the fore- 
hatchway, he having forced off the hatch, and Billy 
Wise, who had been stationed there, was endeavoring 
to drive him back — not an easy task, as others below 
were showing a boarding-pike at him for the purpose 
of compelling him to retreat. Billy, however, stood 
his ground, and was working away with his elbow to 
get at his cutlass, while he kept his musket pointed at 
the man’s head. 

In the mean time others were thundering away at the 
main hatch, and, what was still more dangerous, a party 
had evidently cut their way aft, and were trying to 
force back the' companion hatch. We knew, too, that 
they must have firearms, so that we were altogether 
placed in a very ditficult position. The fore hatch must 
first be secured. I was running to help Billy, when I saw 
him whip out his cutlass, and before I could stop him, 
it flashed in the sun, and the unfortunate Frenchman’s 
head rolled on the deck. 


18 * 


210 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


“There, you Johnny Crapeaus, if any of you likes 
it, I’ll do the same for you,” he shouted, flourishing 
his weapon. 

The body of the man fell below, stopping his com- 
panions from ascending, and though they might not 
have understood the words in which Billy’s liberal offer 
was made, they must have caught sight of the glittering 
cutlass sweeping over the hatchway, and h^’j^itated about 
placing their necks within its influence. 

I sprang forward. So excited was Billy that he 
did not see me, and very nearly treated me as he had 
threatened to do the Frenchmen — taking me for one 
of them. 

“ Lauk, Master Merry, if I had a done it,” he ex- 
claimed, when he discovered his mistake. 

I did not speak, but popping on the hatch, secured 
it before our captives could make a rush to get out. 
It was breathless work, it may be believed — indeed, 
I even to this day feel almost out of breath when I 
think of it. Leaving Billy at the post he had guarded 
so well, I ran back to the companion hatch, inside of 
which we could hear the men working away with most 
disagreeable vigor. 

“ Oh dear ! oh dear ! ” exclaimed Gray over and over 
again. “If we could but speak Frettch, we could tell 
the men what we would do if they would behave them- 
selves.” 

“ But, as we cannot, we must show them what we 
will do if they don’t,” I rejoined. “We must get them 
on deck somehow or other, for if we keep them much 
longer below they will die, I am afraid. It is hot up 
here — it must be ten times worse in that close hold.” 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 211 

“ ril tell you then,” he answered. “ We must keep 
our loaded pistols in our hands, and get up one at a 
time through the companion hatchway. If more than 
one attempts to come, we must shoot him ; there’s no 
help for it. It will be a long process, but I suppose 
those who first come will tell the others how we treat 
them, and they will be content to wait.” 

“We must have some water, then, for they will be 
terribly thirsty,” said I. “ And we must have a good 
supply of lashings, ready to secure them.” 

We accordingly iinrove all the running rigging that 
could be spared, and cut it into lengths, and then leaving 
Billy Wise as sentry at his former post, we rolled two 
water-casks over the main hatch, adding a spare sail 
and spars, so that there was little danger of its being 
forced. We all then collected round the after hatch. 
We slipped back the hatch sufficiently far to allow of 
one man passing through at a time, then, holding our 
pistols so that those below might see them, we beckoned 
to the Frenchmen to come up. At first, from having 
discovered probably the way that Billy Wise had 
treated their countrymen, they were unwilling to take 
advantage of our invitation, which was not to be won- 
dered at. I ordered the men to take care lest they 
might fire up at us, for I suspected some treachery. 

“ Come along, mounseers, come along ; we won’t hurt 
ye,” said Ned Bambrick, the best man with us ; indeed, 
there was not a better in the ship, though certain wild 
pranks in which he had indulged had prevented him 
from becoming a petty officer. “ Come along, now, we’ll 
treat ye as if ye was all sucking babies.” 


212 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

Though the Frenchmen did not understand the words 
addressed to them, the tone of his voice somewhat reas- 
sured them, and at last one ventured up. We imme- 
diately seized him by the arms, hauled him out, and shut 
to Ihe hatch, greatly to the disappointment of those who 
were following. The Frenchman, who was a sailor, 
looked dreadfully frightened, and began to struggle 
violently, expecting probably that we were going to 
throw him overboard. We had, however, his arms 
very soon lashed behind him, and we then gave him 
water, and pointed to his shipmates sitting quietly round 
the side. He was once more satisfied, and we then 
signed to him, as well as we could, that he was to tell 
his companions below that no harm would happen to 
them. We concluded that he did so, for after he had 
shouted down the hatchway, another cautiously lifted 
his head above the coaming. He gave a cry as we 
seized hold of him, but we quickly had him up, and 
treated like the other. In the same way we got up a 
dozen, the last showing clear signs of having suffered 
most. At length a nearly bald head appeared, with a 
silver plate covering part of it, on which I read the 
word “Arcole,” and then the high narrow forehead, 
gaunt cheeks, and thin body of the old colonel slowly 
emerged from the cabin. He looked round with a con- 
fused expression on his countenance, as if not very 
certain what had happened; but before he had had 
much time for consideration, Ned Bambrick politely 
took him by the hand, and helped him to step out on 
deck. When he found himself seized to be pinioned, he 
looked very indignant, and struggled to get loose, but 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 21 S 

we had the ropes round his arms in a moment. As a 
compliment, however, we secured him to the mainmast, 
with a heap of sail-cloth to sit on. He made so many 
extraordinary grimaces, that even poor Toby, who was 
sitting opposite to him, in spite of his suffering, burst into 
a fit of laughter. Gray and I had, however, just then too 
much to do to laugh. There was still nearly twenty 
men below, enough to overpower us and to release their 
countrymen, so it was necessary to be as cautious as at 
first. From the horrible effluvium which came rushing 
up the hatchway each time the hatch was slid off, we 
might have known that the men who had to exist in it 
long were not likely to be very difflcult to manage. In 
those days midshipmen, at all events, knew nothing of 
hydrogen and oxygen, and that human beings could not 
exist without a certain supply of the latter. A few 
more climbed slowly up. We thought that they were 
shamming, and treated them like the rest. At last no 
more appeared. 

“ What can they be about ? ” I asked of Gray. Then 
we heard some groans. 

“ What shall we do ? ” said Gray. 

“ I’ll tell you, sir. I’ll go below and find out,” ex- 
claimed Ned Barabrick. 

It was the only way of solving the difficulty. We 
j)ut on the companion, and lifted off the main hatch. 
We were nearly knocked down with the abominable 
odor which arose as we did so. Notwithstanding this, 
Ned sprang downinto the hold. He groped about for 
half a minute, when he sang out, “ Send a whip down 
and get these fellows on deck, or they’ll be dead 
altogether.” 


214 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

We lowered the end of a rope, and ran up the men 
one after another, as he made them fast to it. They 
were in a very exhausted condition ; but the fresh air, 
though it was still very hot, and the water we poured 
down their throats, soon revived them, and we had to 
lash their arms behind them, as we had the others. 
During this time Billy Wise volunteered to go down 
and assist Ned. We had hoisted up ten or a dozen 
when they both declared that they could find no more, 
80 we took all the hatches off to ventilate the vessel, not 
forgetting to throw overboard the corpse of the poor 
fellow whose head Billy’s cutlass had cut ofiP. Billy 
wanted to keep the head as a trophy, but we did not 
approve of that, and made him pitch it after the body. 

“ Well, now I hope you’ll find each other,” observed 
Billy, with perfect gravity, as he did so. 

It had certainly a very odd appearance to see our 
forty prisoners arranged round the vessel, with thf> 
colonel at the mainmast and the man we supposed to be 
the master at the foremast. We had, however, to wait 
on them, and to carry them water and food. Gray and 
I agreed that, though it was a very honorable thing to 
command a ship, we should be very glad to be relieved 
of the honor. Since we captured the vessel we had not 
had a moment to take any food. Hunger made us rather 
inclined to despond. We, however found out what war 
the matter with us, and sent Billy Wise down into the 
cabin to forage. He soon returned with some biscuit 
and white cheese, and dried plums and raisins, and a 
few bottles of claret, but there was no honest eold beef 


or rum. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 215 

It’s no wonder we licked the Johnny Crapeaus when 
that s the stuff they feeds on,” observed Ned Bambrick, 
turning over the food with a look of contempt. 

However, he and the rest stowed away no small 
amount of the comestibles, notwithstanding his contempt 
or them. When, however, he came to the liquid, toss- 
ing off the contents of a bottle, he made a wofully wrj 
face, and exclaimed, — 

“ Billy, my boy, we must have a full cask of this on 
deck — a chap must drink a bucket or two before he 
finds out he has taken any thing. It’s vinegar and water, 
to my mind.” 

Gray and I took a few glasses of the wine. It did 
not taste so bad, especially in that hot weather ; but we 
fancied that there was but little strength in it. As the 
men required refreshment, we did not object to their 
taking as much as they fancied. Persuaded by Bam- 
brick, Billy went below, and soon sung out that he had 
found a cask of the same stuff as that in the bottles. A 
whip was sent below. A cask was hoisted on deck, and 
found to contain what was undoubtedly claret. When 
the old colonel saw it, he shrieked out something about 
^^Monsieur le Gouverneur.” 

“ Well, Mounzeer Governor ! here’s to your health, 
then,” said Bambrick, draining off a mug-full of the 
claret, which had been quickly tapped. “ This is better 
tipple than the other. Here, old boy, you shall have a 
glass, to see if we can’t put a smile into that ugly mug 
of yours.” 

The old soldiei seemed not at all to object to the 
wine which Ned p.Qi^red dewn his throat, and he smacked 


216 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

his lips as if he would like some more. Fortunately, 
Gray and I now tasted the claret, and though we were 
no great judges of wine, we knew enough to ascertain 
that it was remarkably fine and strong ; and, moreover, 
we discovered, by the way Ned and Billy and the rest 
began to talk, that they had had enough, if not too much 
of it, already. 

It was unwise of us to let them have any at all,” 
observed Gray. “ How we shall keep them from it I 
do not know ; and if they get drunk, as they certainly 
will if they have much more, the chances are the French- 
men will take the vessel from us.” 

“We must knock the head in,” I answered. “ It is 
our only security. I know from experience, that if sea- 
men can by any means get hold of liquor, they will do 
so at all risks, and that they are in no way particular 
what it is.” 

“ It will be better to serve it out to the prisoners,” 
said Gray. “ If we appeal to these men’s kind feelings 
they will do it, and if there is more than enough we 
must leave the spile out.” 

Bambrick and Billy, and the other men, were per- 
fectly ready to do as we proposed. When the old 
colonel saw what we were doing he again shrieked out 
about the governor, but this did not prevent the men 
from serving out the wine. It only made Bambrick 
turn round and say, — 

“ All right, Mr. Governor, you shall have some more, 
old boy.” 

He took care, at all events, that the old gentleman 
should have enough, for he gave him the greater portion 
of the contents of a jug. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 217 

We waited till nearly all the men were served, and 
llien Gray pulled out the spile, and a good deal ran out. 
He had to put it in before the men returned for their 
last supply. Still, for fear that too much might remain, 
he kicked away the block of wood which kept it in its 
pla^e, and then rolling over the cask, it was emptied of 
its remaining contents. I must do our fellows the justice 
to say that they treated the prisoners as they would like 
to have been treated themselves, and gave them as 
much wine as they would drink. The only difference 
was that they would have drunk five times as much as 
the Frenchmen, and not have been the worse for it. 

They were rather inclined to grumble when they 
found that there was no more. I saw that it was time 
to exert my authority. 

“ You’ve done very well, lads,” I exclaimed. “ But 
suppose you were all to get drunk, what would the 
Frenchmen do with us, I should like to know. Shall I 
tell you ? They would manage to wriggle themselves 
free, and heave us all overboard. If we don’t w'ant to 
disgrace ourselves, let us keep what we’ve got. Not 
another drop of liquor does any one have aboard here 
till we fall in with the frigate.” 

My speech appeared to have some effect, and I took 
care to give all hands ample employment, that they 
might not think of the liquor. As it was, by the springy 
way in which they moved about the deck, and the 
harangues uttered by Ned Bambrick on every trivial 
occasion, I saw that they had already had quite enough 
for our safety. Night was now approaching, but still 
19 


218 MARMADtJKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

the frigate was nowhere to be seen. Gray went alofl, 
and took an anxious look round. 

“ Not a sign of her,” he said, as he returned on 
deck. 

Darkness came on. All hands were naturally feel- 
ing very sleepy, but with so many prisoners to guard, 
even though their hands were lashed behind them, it 
was necessary for us to keep awake. However, Gray 
and I agreed that — if we were rested, and brisk we 
could do more than if we were worn out — it would be 
best for us to take a little sleep at intervals, and allow 
one or two of the men to sleep at the same time. One 
man was at the helm, and two others kept walking up 
and down the deck, with pistols in their hands and cut- 
lasses ready for use. Gray lay down first. He slept 
so soundly that I did not like to call him. The night 
was dark, but the prisoners were quiet, and there was 
but little wind ; even that little had died away. I did not 
altogether like the look of the weather. The heat was 
very great, and though it was calm then, I knew that 
it was not far off the hurricane season, and I thought if 
we were to be caught in a hurricane how greatly our 
difficulties would be increased, even if we were not lost 
altogether. After a time Gray started up of his own 
accord. The instant I lay down on the after part of the 
deck, I was asleep. It appeared to me that I had 
scarcely closed my eyes, when I was aroused by shouts 
and cries. I started up, fully persuaded that the French- 
men were loose and upon us. The sounds appeared to 
come from the hold. As I ran to the main hatchway I 


MARMAUUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 219 

heard a noise of scuffling and struggling, and a voice 
shouting, “ Oh, Master Merry, Master Gray, the ghost- 
eses have got hold of me, the ghosteses have got hold 
of me.” Looking into the hold, I saw, by the light of 
a lanthorn, Billy Wise struggling with two Frenchmen, 
while, forward, Gray and one of our men were, I dis- 
covered rather by my ears than by sight, engaged with 
another of the prisoners, who had apparently worked 
himself loose. Ned Bambrick had started to his feet 
at the moment that I did. Together we leaped down 
below. We were not an instant too soon. Billy was 
almost overpowered, and as there were some cutlasses at 
hand, the Frenchmen might have armed themselves and 
killed us while we were asleep. Bambrick knocked one 
over with a blow of his fist, and the other was easily 
managed. Where they had come from we could not 
tell. They were none of those who had appeared on 
tleck, and must have been concealed very cleverly when 
we sent down to search below. It was a lesson to Gray 
and me ever after to go and look ourselves when a search 
of importance was to be made. While Bambrick and 
Billy held the men down, I ran for some rope, with 
which we made them fast pretty tightly to some stan- 
chions between decks. Gray and his companion had 
in the mean time re-secured the prisoner who had man- 
aged nearly to release himself, and we then made a 
more careful search than before through every part of 
the vessel. We had pretty well satisfied ourselves that 
no one else was stowed away below, when a loud cry, 
and finding the vessel suddenly heeling over, made us 
spring on deck. A squall had struck her. I did not 


220 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

expect to see her recover herself. Every thing was flying 
away ; yards were cracking, the sails in shreds flutter- 
ing in the gale ; the masts were bending as if about to 
go over the side; blocks were falling from aloft; ropes 
slashing and whipping furiously ; the water was rushing 
in through the lee scuppers half up the deck, and near- 
ly drowning the unfortunate Frenchmen sitting there 
who were shrieking out in dismay, believing that theii 
last moments had come. Ned Bambrick sprang aft and 
put up the helm : the after canvas was chiefly off her ; 
she had gathered way, and now answering her helm, 
she flew before it. Never had I been in such a scene 
of confusion, increased by the roaring of the Avind, the 
shrieks of the prisoners, the rattling of the blocks and 
ropes, the cracking of spars, and the loud slush of the 
water as it rushed about the deck. What had become 
of Gray I could not tell. It was too dark now to dis- 
tinguish any one. I called: he did not answer. A 
horrid feeling seized me. He must have been knocked 
overboard. I called again in despair. At that moment 
it would have been a matter of indifference to me if the 
Frenchmen had risen and taken the vessel from us. A 
faint voice answered me. It was that of Toby Bluff. 
“ He was there, sir, but just now.” 

I had been standing on the weather side. I slid 
down to leeward, for I saw some one there. I grasped 
hold of the person, and hauled him up. It was Gray. 
When the vessel was fii'st struck, he had been knocked 
over by the tiller, which he must have just taken, be- 
lieving that there was to be but a slight breeze. He 
had been half stunned and half drowned. He speedily 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 221 

however, to my great joy, recovered. I now mustered 
all hands, most of whom had been sent sprawling in 
among the Frenchmen, who kicked and bit at them, 
they declared, but which Gray and I did not believe to 
be the fact. We now set to work to get the ship to 
rights. We squared yards as well as we could, furled 
the remnant of the canvas, and set a close-reefed fore- 
topsail, under which the little vessel ran on very com- 
fortably. Our chief concern was, that we were, as we 
thought, running away from the frigate. None of us 
felt disposed to go to sleep again, so we kept a bright 
look-out, not knowing whether we might not be hurry- 
ing directly on to a coral reef, or another island. The 
wind, however, soon began to go down, and I was pro- 
posing to Gray to haul up again, when Billy Wise, who 
was stationed forward, sung out, — 

“ r tarboard — starboard the helm — or we shall run 
dow> the frigate ! ” 

Sure enough, in half a minute, we were gliding by 
under her stern. A voice from the deck hailed us. 

“ What schooner is that ? ” 

The , I don’t know her name — prize to the 

second cutter of His Majesty’s frigate Doris,” I an- 
swered. “ We’ve a heap of prisoners, and I don’t know 
what to do with them ! ” 

“ Heave to, and we will send a boat on board,” was 
shouted in return. 

Day was just breaking, and the increasing light en- 
abled us to manage better than we could otherwise have 
done. We had now less fear of our enemies breaking 
loose, so all hands were able to assist in getting some 
19 * 


222 MABMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

after sail on the vessel, and bringing her up to the 
wind. 

“ Now we shall catch it for all this,” said Gray, as 
we saw the boat pulling toward us from the frigate. 

“ I hope not,” said I. “ At all events, we must make 
the best of it. There’s Mr. Fitzgerald in the boat. 
We’ll get him to stand our friend.” 

“ Well, boys, this is a nate piece of work you’ve 
been after doing now ! ” remarked our handsome second 
lieutenant, as he surveyed the deck. “ You don’t mean 
to say that you captured all these heroes ? ” 

“ Every one of them, sir,” said Gray, with perfect 
seriousness. “ I hope the captain won’t be angry.” 

“There’s no saying. However, we’ll see,” he an- 
swered 's\dth a smile. 

We now made more sail, and ran in close under the 
lee of the frigate. 

Perigal was sent on board the schooner to take charge 
of her, and the prisoners were transferred to the deck 
of the frigate, where the captain and most of the officers 
were assembled. Mr. Johnson met me. He had just 
time to say, — 

“ I congratulate you, Mr. Merry. You’ve done well. 
You are worthy of my teaching ! ” when the prisoners 
were summoned aft. 

We had given the old colonel his sword, that he 
might present it in due form. He marched aft at the 
head of his men, and presented it to Captain Collyer 
with a profound bow. 

The captain then addressed him. I was afterwards 
told what he said. It was, — 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 228 


“ I am surprised, Monsieur, that you, an experienced 
soldier, who have seen much service, should allow your- 
self and your men to be captured by a single boat’s 
crew, and two midshipmen.” 

“ Ma foi !” exclaimed the colonel, with an inimitable 
shrug of his shoulders, and an indescribable expression 
of countenance, indicative of intense disgust. “ I am 
a brave man; I fear nothing — raais c’est ce terrible 
mal de mer ! ” (this terrible sea-sickness.) 

I do not know what Captain Collyer said in return, 
but I fancy he did not pay the colonel any compliments 
on his gallantry.* Gray and I were very agreeably 
surprised when, instead of being reprimanded for what 
we had done, the captain praised us very much for the 
daring way in which we had taken the schooner. Mr. 
Fitzgerald had told him all the particulars beforehand. 
Somebody, however, was to blame for having taken the 
arras in the boat. All the men, however, declared that 
they knew nothing about it, but that the getting them 
in had been entirely managed by Ned Dawlish, who, 
being dead, could say nothing in his defence, and was 
therefore found guilty. The truth was, that the captain 
was very well pleased at what had been done, and was 
ready ta overlook the disobedience of orders of which 
the men had been guilty. 

Gray and I were in high feather. We dined that 
day with the captain, who complimented us on our ex* 
ploit, and made us give him all the particulars. He 

* I only hope that Frenchmen, on other occasions, may hav« 
their valor cooled down to zero by that terrible sea-sickness. 


224 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


told US that the carpenter, who had been sent on board 
to survey the schooner, had reported favorably of her, 
and that he proposed to employ her as a tender, while 
the frigate was refitting at Port Royal. 

As it was necessary to get rid of our prisoners, a 
course was steered at once for Jamaica, so that we 
might land them there. We found, after a little time, 
that the French Colonel was not a bad old fellow. I 
really believe that he was as brave as most men, and 
that he had spoken the truth when he said that “ le mal 
de mer had overcome him.” Probably most of his men 
were in the same condition. Gray and I did not forget 
our resolution to try and learn French, and as one of 
the mates, Duncan McAllister, could speak a little, we 
begged him to ask the old colonel if he would teach us. 
He replied that he would do so gladly, and would teach 
any one else who wished to learn. Indeed our proposal 
was ultimately of great service to him, for when he got 
on shore, and was admitted as a prisoner on his parole, 
he gained a very comfortable livelihood by teaching 
P'rench. I afterwards heard that, when the war was 
over, he declined going back to La Belle France, and 
settled among his friends the English. It is just pos- 
sible, that the way in which he had allowed himself and 
his thirty men to be taken by us had something to do 
with this decision. 

The colonel’s name was, I remember, Painchaud, 
which is translated Hotbread, — a funny name, which I 
never met elsewhere. We invited him into the berth 
to give his lessons, but we had to clear away several 
boxes and hamjiers to affoi-d him space to stretch his 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 225 

egs under the table. As he sat on the narrow locker 
with his bald head touching the deck above, his elbows 
resting on the table, and his long legs stretched out to 
the other side of the berth, while we youngsters in every 
variety of attitude grouped ourselves round him, he 
looked like some antiquated Gulliver among a party of 
rather overgrown Liliputians. At first he had a con- 
siderable number of pupils, but it was very evident that 
they assembled more for the sake of trying if any fun 
could be found, than with any serious intention of learn- 
ing French. We had forgotten when he had made our 
proposal that books would be necessary to enable us to 
make any progress in the language, but not a French 
work of any sort was to be procured on board, still less 
a grammar. At length the colonel produced two from 
his valise. They were, I have reason to believe, not 
such as would have tended to our edification ; but hap- 
pily, in the then state of our knowledge of the language 
in which they were written, they were not likely to hurt 
our morals. As we had no grammar, the colonel made 
us understand that he wanted paper and pens and ink ; 
and then he wrote out words, and intimated to us that 
we were to repeat them after him. He would take the 
hand of one of his pupils and exclaim “ mam,” and 
make each of us repeat it after him. Then he would 
seize an ear and cry out ‘‘ oreilky” and pretty hard 
he pinched too. If any of us cried out, it evidently 
afforded him infinite amusement. We, of course, gave 
him the name which he always afterwards kept, of 
Colonel Pinchhard. When any of his pupils pronounced 
the word wrongly, it was highly amusing to watch the 


226 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

wonderful way in which his shoulders went up and hia 
head sunk down between them. No English pair of 
shoulders could have behaved in the same way ; nor 
could certainly any English mouth have rolled out the 
extraordinary expletives with which he was wont to 
give force to his sentiments. His great delight was, 
however, pulling Gray’s and my ears, which, we agreed, 
was in revenge for taking him prisoner. One day he 
wrote down nez^ and asked me what it meant. I re- 
plied by a loud neigh like a horse. The rest of the 
party took the joke and laughed, as I intended they 
should ; but he, not understanding the cause of this, and 
thinking that they were laughing at him, seized my 
nose and gave it a tweak, which made me fancy he was 
pulling it off. In the impulse of the moment I sprang 
on the table, and seizing his nasal promontory, hauled 
away at it with hearty good-will, and there we sat, he 
sending forth with unsurpassable rapidity a torrent of 
sa-c-r-r-es, which almost overwhelmed me ; neither of 
us willing to be the first to let go. At last, from sheer 
exhaustion and pain, we bdth of us fell back. I might 
have boasted of the victory, for, though I felt acute pain, 
my nose did not alter its shape, while the Frenchman’s 
swelled up to twice its usual proportions. The contest, 
however, very nearly put an end’ to our French lessons. 
However, as our master was really a good-natured man, 
he was soon pacified, and we set to work again as be- 
fore. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 227 


CHAPTER X. . 

We made wonderful progress with our French, in 
spite of our want of books. Indeed, I have reason to 
believe, that information attained under difficulties, is not 
only acquired more rapidly, but most certainly more 
completely mastered, than with the aid of all the modern 
appliances of education, which, like steam-engines at full 
speed, haul us so fast along the royal road to knowledge, 
that Ave have no time to take in half the freight pre- 
pared for us. We found, too, that the old colonel knew 
considerably more about English than we had at first 
suspected, and at last we ascertained that he had before 
been captured, and shut up in a prison in England. He 
did not seem to have any pleasing recollections of that 
period of his existence. One day, after we had annoyed 
him more than usual with our pranks, and stirred up his 
bile, he gave vent to his feelings, — 

Ah, you betes, Anglaises,” he exclaimed. “ You 
have no sympathe vid des miserables. Vous eat ros-beef 
vous-memes, and vous starve vos prisonniers.'** 

He then went on gravely to assure us, that when the 
inspector of prisons one day rode into the yard of the 
prison, and left his horse there while he entered the 
building, the famished prisoners rushed out in a body 
and surrounded the animal. Simultaneously they made 
a rush at the poor beast, and stabbed it with their knives. 
In an instant it was skinned, cut up, and carried off 


228 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

piecemeal. When the inspecting officer came back, he 
found only the stirrups and bit and hoofs. The prison- 
ers were busily occupied cooking their dinners, and had 
already produced most delicious fricassees, so that the 
English officer could not believe that they were formed 
out of the animal on whose back he had galloped up to 
the prison not an hour before. 

“ That’s pretty well up to one of Mr. Johnson’s yarns,” 
observed Gray to me. “ I wish the old fellow could 
understand him ; the boatswain would take the shine 
out of him, I suspect.” 

“ Bah, dat is noting,” said the colonel. “ I vill tell 
you many more curieuse tings. You talk much of de 
Anglish ladies. Vel, des are passablement bien ; but 
ies all get dronk ven des can. Je sais bien, vy des go 
up-stairs before de gentlehommes ? — it is dat des may 
drink at dere ease. Ha, ha, dat is vot des do ; you 
drink down-stairs, des drink up-stairs.” 

“ Come, come. Monsieur Colonel,” exclaimed Duncan 
McAllister, starting up and striking his fist on the table. 
“ Ye may tell what crammers ye like and welcome, but 
if ye dare to utter your falsehoods about the ladies of 
Scotland and England, matrons or maids, prisoner though 
you be, I’ll make your two eyes see brighter lightning 
than has come out of them for many a day ; and if ye 
want satisfaction, ye shall have as much as ye can get 
out of a stout ash-stick. Vous comprennez, don’t ye ? ” 

The colonel shrugged his shoulders, and wisely said 
nothing. Though he did not understand all McAllister’s 
remarks, he saw that he had gone too far, and that it 
would be wiser in future, whatever might have been his 


MAKMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIRMAN. 229 

belief, not to utter any remarks disparaging to the 
women of England among a party of English sailors. 

“ I dinna think that colonel ever did a bolder thins 
than brave a litter of young lions in their den,” ex- 
claimed McAllister, who, for some especial reason, held 
France and Frenchmen in utter detestation and abhor- 
rence, though he knew more of their language than 
most of us. 

We did not mind the poor old colonel’s stories, for we 
remembered that he was a prisoner suffering from sea- 
sickness, and that he had no other way of venting his 
spleen. 

At length we reached Port Royal, and our prize un- 
der charge of Perigal arrived at the same time. Colo- 
nel Pinchard begged so hard that he might stay on 
board while the frigate remained in harbor, that in con- 
sideration of the instruction he was affording the young- 
sters he was allowed to do so. 

“ Ah, I do like de ship ven she stay tranquil,” he 
exclaimed, spreading out his hands horizontally, and 
making them slowly move round. “ But ven she tumble 
bout, den,” he put his hands on his stomach, exhibiting 
with such extraordinary contortions of countenance the 
acuteness of his sensations, that we all burst into hearty 
fits of laughter. 

Indeed the colonel was a never-failing source of 
amusement to us. From the wonderfully prolonged 
cackles in which he indulged, he also evidently enjoyed 
the jokes himself. The schooner, which required but 
little refitting, was soon ready for sea. It was under- 
stood that Perigal was to have the command, and Gray 
20 


230 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

and I hoped to be allowed to accompany him. The 
captain had not as yet let us know his intentions. We 
should have been ready enough, probably, to have spent 
our time on shore; but as we should have but little 
chance of that, we fancied that we should prefer sailing 
in search of adventures on the ocean. There are few 
more beautiful spots on the earth’s surface than Jamaica, 
with its exquisite verdure, its lofty hills known as the 
Blue Mountains, its round-topped heights covered with 
groves of pimento, its vast savannahs or plains, its ro- 
mantic vales, its rivers, bays, and creeks, and its dense 
and sombre forests, altogether forming one of the most 
lovely of tropical pictures. 

Entering the harbor, we had Port Royal on the star- 
board hand, at the end of a long spit of land called the 
Palisades. On the opposite side of the narrow entrance, 
was Rock fort, just under a lofty hill, and as the batteries 
of Fort Charles at Port Royal bristled with guns, while 
those of Fort Augusta faced us with an equal number, 
we agreed that an enemy would find it no easy task to 
enter the harbor. 

The dockyard was at Port Royal, opposite which we 
Drought up. The Palisades run parallel with the main- 
land, thus forming a vast lagoon, not running inland, but 
along the coast as it were. Toward the upper end, the 
commercial town, called Kingston, with its commodious 
harbor, is situated. Some way inland, again, is Spanish 
town, the capital, where the residence of the Governor 
and the House of Assembly are to be found. It is a 
very hot place, and the yellow fever is more apt to pay 
it a second visit than strangers who have once been 
there, if they can help it. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 281 

The Admiral on the Jamaica station lives on shore, 
at a house called the Admiral’s pen, on the Palisades, 
whence he commands a view of the harbor, roadstead, 
and the ocean. He is better off than the governor 
because he does not get the sea-breeze, which is the 
best preventive to the yellow fever. It takes an hour 
or more pulling up from Port Royal to Kingston, the 
distance being five or six miles, or more. Spellman 
once induced me to ride round along the Palisades, but we 
agreed that we would never do it again ; for, as it was 
a calm day, and the rays of the sun beat down on the 
white sands, we were very nearly roasted alive, and how 
we escaped a sunstroke I do not know. From what I 
have said, it will be understood that Port Royal harbor 
is a very large sheet of water, and what with the ship- 
ping, the towns and ports on its shores, and the lofty 
mountains rising up in its neighborhood, is a very pic- 
turesque place. 

We had not been there long, when yellow jack, as the 
yellow fever is called, made its appearance, both at 
Kingston and Port Royal, and all visits to the shore 
were prohibited. Gray and I, therefore, had to make 
ourselves as happy on board as we could, till we received 
our expected orders to join the schooner. We had not 
had a yarn for some time from Mr. Johnson. One 
evening, when work was over, we found him walking 
the forecastle, taking what he called his sunset food 
shaker, in a more than usually thoughtful mood. As 
Gray, Spellman, and I, with one or two others, went up 
to him, he heaved a sigh, which sounded not altogether 
unlike the roar of a young bull. 


232 MARMADUKE MERRTc^ THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

What is the matter, Mr. Johnson ? ” I asked, ap* 
preaching him. “ You seem melancholy to-day.” 

“ I have cause to be so, Mr. Merry ; I have indeed,” 
he answered, in a tone of deep pathos, again sighing. 
“ Whenever I look on the blue waters of this harbor, and 
those whitewashed houses, and those lofty mountains, 
I think of a strange and sad episode of my eventful 
history.” 

Of course, we all exclaimed with one voice, “ Do tell 
it us, Mr. Johnson ! ” To which I added, “ If it would 
not break your heart, we should so like to hear it.” 

“ Break my heart, Mr. Merry ! ” exclaimed the boat- 
swain, striking his bosom with his open palm, and 
making it sound like the big drum in a regimental band. 
I could not help fancying that there was a considerable 
amount of humor lurking in the corner of his eye. 

“ Break my heart ! Jonathan Johnson’s heart is 
formed of tougher stuff than to break with any grief it 
may be doomed to bear. You shall hear. But it 
strikes me forcibly, young gentlemen, that it may be as 
well to finish one part of my history before I begin 
another. Who can tell where I left off ? ” 

“ You were just going to be swallowed by the big 
sea-serpent, Mr. Johnson ; ship, and crew, and all,” 
said Gray. 

“ It would be more correct, Mr. Gray, to say that you 
believed we were going to be swallowed up ; because 
you will understand that had we been swallowed up, I 
should not, in all human probability, be here, or ever 
have attained the rank of boatswain of His Britannic 
Majesty’s frigate Doris,” said Mr. Johnson, with a polite 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 233 

bend of the head. “ However, not to keep you longer 
>n suspense, 1 will continue my narrative : — 

“ The good ship Diddleus was bowling away under 
all sail, and the sea-serpent, with mouth agape, following 
us. It’s my opinion, and others agreed with me, that if 
he’d kept his mouth shut he would have caught us ; for 
the hot wind coming out of his throat filled our sails, 
just as if it had been blowing a heavy gale of wind, 
and drove us ahead of him ; but he was too eager, do 
you see, and thought every moment he was going to 
grab us. We guessed that he had been aroused at find- 
ing his back smart from the scratch we made in it. We 
thus ran on till daybreak, keeping ahead, but not drop- 
ping him as much as we could have wished. It was 
very awful, let me tell yon, young gentlemen, to see his 
big rolling eyes, to feel his hot breath, to smell a smell 
of sulphur, and to hear his loud roaring. It was pain- 
fully evident that he was in a tremendous rage at the 
liberty we had taken with his back ; and there was no 
doubt that had he come up with us, he could have swal- 
lowed the ship and crew, and his own fat into the bar- 
gain, with as much ease as he swallowed the whale. If 
it was a terrific sight to see him at night, it was still 
worse in the day-time. His immense jaws were wide 
open, showing a dozen rows of teeth, while his large 
eyes projected on either side ; and I don’t think I ex- 
aggerate when I say that the tip of his upper jaw was 
fully sixty feet above the surface of the water. As you 
all well know, young gentlemen, I am not a man to be 
daunted ; so I loaded our stern-chasers, and kept blaz- 
ing away at the monster, to make him turn aside ; but 
90 m 


234 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

to no effect. I trained the guns myself, and every shot 
went into his mouth; but he just rolled his eyes round, 
and swallowed them as if they were so many pills. It 
was a fine sight, though a terribly fearful one, I own, to 
see him coming along so steadily and stately, with the 
water curling and foaming under his bows, and flying 
high up into the air as he cut through it. It was neck 
or nothing with us ; so we kept blazing away as fast as 
we could load. I confess that every moment I expect- 
ed he would make a spring and grab us, just as an or- 
dinary fish does the bait held over him ; but it was ne- 
cessary that I should set an example of coolness to my 
crew; and, under the circumstances, I believe that mortal 
man could not have been cooler. I could not hide from 
myself the consequences, should he catch us ; and yet I 
scarcely dared to hope that we should escape. We had 
expended, at last, all our round shot, and the greater 
part of our powder, and we had to load with bags of 
nails and any langrage we could find. We had half 
emptied the carpenter’s chest, and, except some copper 
bolts, there seemed to be nothing else we could fire off, 
when, by my calculations, I found that we were ap- 
proaching the line. Life is sweet ; and so, that we 
might keep off the fatal moment as long as possible, we 
determined to fire away as long as we had a tin tack 
or a bradawl to put into our guns, when, on a sudden, 
he uttered a fierce roar — it did make us jump — and 
down went his head right under the water, and up went 
his tail like a huge pillar, when flop it came down again, 
sending the sea flying over us and very nearly pooping 
the ship. We felt very uncomfortable, for we naturally 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSIIIRMAN. 


235 


expected to see him come up alongside ; but he didn’t, 
and two minutes afterwards we made him out close to 
the horizon, to the southward. It was my opinion at 
the time — and I have held it ever since — that either 
he did not like the mouthful of big nails and bradawls 
he swallowed, or that he had some objection to crossing 
the line from not knowing the navigation on the other 
side. At all events, we were clear of him. We had a 
quick run to Liverpool, where the oil sold at a very 
high price, and I got a monstrous amount of credit from 
all who believed my wmnderful narrative. As is always 
the case, some didn’t, in spite of the oil I exhibited in 
proof of the occurrence ; but I treated the incredulous 
fellows with the scorn they deserved, and from that day 
to this, I’ll answer for it, no one has ever caught sight 
of so much as the tail of the real Sea-Serpent.” 

“Veil, Mistre Johnson, dat is von very vonderful, vot 
you call it ! ” exclaimed Colonel Pinchard, who had 
joined us. 

“ A big, thundering bouncer ! ” cried a voice from be- 
hind the boatswain’s back. He turned sharply round, 
but did not discover the speaker. He shook his fist in 
that direction, however, with a comic expression in his 
eye, saying, — 

“ Bouncer or no bouncer, mister whoever you are, I 
beg that you’ll understand clearly, that I will allow no 
man, whoever he may be, to labor under the misappre- 
hension that I ever depart one tenth of a point from the 
strict line of truth ; and that reminds me that I prom- 
ised you, Mr. Merry, and you, Mr. Gray, to narrate an 
event which occurred during the next voyage I made. 


236 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

I wasn’t long in finding a ship, for the certificates with 
which the owners of the Diddleus had furnished me 
were highly satisfactory ; in fact, merit like mine 
couldn’t, in those days, languish in obscurity ; though, 
by the by, I ought not exactly to sing my own praises ; 
but when a man has a due consciousness of his own 
superior talents, the feeling will ooze out now and then, 
do all he can to conceal it. Things are altered now : 
merit’s claims are no longer allowed, or I should be liv- 
ing on shore now.” Mr. Johnson pointed significantly 
at the Admiral’s pen. 

“ Ah ! Oui ! I vonce read of von great man, Sinbad 
de Sailor, and von oder man. Captain Lemuel Gulliver. 
You vary like dem gentlemen, observed Colonel Pinch- 
ard, with the politest of bows, to the boatswain. 

“ Sinbad ! and Gulliver ! ” shouted the boatswain 

indignantly. “ If there are two fellows whose names I 
hate more than others, they are those. Take them all 
in all, I consider them, without exception, the biggest 
liars who have ever lived ; and if there is a character I 
detest more than another, it is that of a man who de- 
parts in the slightest degree from the truth ; no one can 
any longer have confidence in what he says : and, for my 
own part. I’d rather lose my right hand, and my head 
into the bargain, than have the shadow of a reason for 
supposing that the words I was uttering would run the 
remotest chance of not being implicitly believed.” 

The boatswain’s eye kept rolling round on his audi- 
tory with a self-satisfied glance, and a twinkle withal, 
as much as to say, “ You I care about understand me 
perfectly, and if there are any geese who don’t, they are 
welcome to swallow all they can digest.” 


JIARMADUKE JIERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 237 

“ Ah ! I had just found a fresh ship. She was the 
r^ady Stiggins, a fine brig, well armed, and bound round 
Cape Horn. We had a somewhat roving commission, 
and were first to touch here at Jamaica, and one or two 
others of these gems of the tropics — these islands, full 
of sugarcandy and blackamoors. 

“ I was not at first a favorite with the crew, for not 
having had an opportunity of testing my qualifications, 
but having heard some of my veracious narratives, they 
were inclined to look upon me as an empty bragga- 
docio, a character they very naturally despised ; but I 
soon gave them reason to alter their opinion, when I was 
quickly raised to that position in their estimation which 
I ever after enjoyed. 

“We were about a day’s sail from this same harbor 
of Port Royal, and were expecting to make the land 
next morning, when it fell calm. Tt was the hottest 
time of the year. The sun sent his rays down on our 
heads as if he were a furnace a few yards off, making 
the pitch in the seams of our decks bubble and squeak, 
like bacon in a frying-pan ; and I remember that a 
basket of eggs in the cabin were hatched in a few 
minutes, and looking up from a book I was reading, 
I saw a whole brood of chickens and ducks squattering 
about the deck, not knowing where they’d come from, 
or what to do with themselves. The chickens, however, 
soon went to roost in a corner, for it was too hot to 
keep awake, and the ducks waddled up on deck, and 
were making the best of their way over the vessel’s 
side into the element in which they delight, when we 
turned them into a water-butt, which contented them 
mightily. 


238 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

“ But this was not the story I was going to tell you. 
Every one on board felt like the ducks and chickens, 
overcome by the heat ; so at last, not considering the 
risk they ran, many of the men stripped off their clothes 
and jumped overboard. 

“ I, however, kept mine on, and so did several others. 
The fact was, that we had only, in that hot weather, to 
give ourselves a shake, and to turn once round in the 
sun, and we were dry through and through. 

“We had frolicking and swimming about for some 
time, enjoying the comparatively cool water, though, for 
the matter of that, it was pretty well hot enough to boil 
a lobster, when suddenly our ears were assailed with a 
terrific cry of ‘ A shark ! a shark ! ^ 

“The outside man was a fine young fellow, Tom 
Harding by name. The poor fellow saw his danger, for 
the shark was making directly for him. I sang out to him 
not to be afraid, but to swim as fast as he could toward 
the ship, and he didn’t require to be told twice. Mean- 
time I was making a circle round, so as to approach 
the beast in the rear ; for, as you all know, I am a first- 
rate swimmer, and I never yet heard of the man who 
could keep up with me. Why, I once swam from 
Dover to Calais, and back again, for a wager, and danced 
a hornpipe on the top of Shakspeare's cliff, to the aston- 
ishment of all who saw me — but that’s neither here 
nor there.” 

“ Vel, I vender de shark did not eat you,” observed 
the colonel, with a grin. 

“ Eat me, mounseer ! I should like to see the shark 
who would venture to attempt it, unless he found me 


MARMADUKE MERPvY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 239 


snoozing on the top of a wave,” exclaimed the boat- 
swain, in a tone of pretended indignation. “ If it hadn’t 
been for me, however, he would have bolted Tom 
Harding, and no mistake. Well, Tom was swimming 
for dear life, and all the rest of the crew were scram- 
bling up the side of the vessel, thinking that it was all 
over with both of us, when I saw the monster turn on 
his back, his white belly shining in the sun, as he made 
a grab at Tom’s leg. It was now time for me to inter- 
fere ; so, striking out with all my might, I seized the 
shark by the tail, and slewing him round, just as he 
expected to make a mouthful of Tom, he missed his 
aim, and his jaws met with a crack which sounded like 
the report of a hundred muskets. Tom gave a shriek, 
for he thought — as well he might — that his last hour 
had come ; but, still more from instinct than from any 
hope of escape, he swam on, and was very much sur- 
prised to find himself alongside the ship. In fact, when 
he was hauled on deck, it was some time, I was told, 
before he could be persuaded that he hadn’t lost both 
his legs, so firmly convinced was he that the shark had 
got hold of them. 

“ I meantime kept a taut hold of the fish, who was 
whisking about his tail, and snapping his jaws in his 
disappointment ; and hard work I had, you may depend 
on’t. As he went one way I pulled the other, and act- 
ing like a rudder, brought him round again, till I worked 
him near and nearer to the ship. At last I got him 
alongside, and singing out for a rope, which was quickly 
hove to me, I passed it dexterously over his tail, and 
told the men on deck to haul it taut. He was thus 


MO MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

partly secured, but the difficulty was to make his head 
fast, for I had no fancy to get within the power of his 
jaws. I should observe that he was the largest shark I 
saw. I was almost despairing of securing him, when 
one of the men, Bill Jones, I remember, was his name, 
made fast a big hook with a lump of pork to the top- 
gallant halyards, and hove it before him. The shark 
grabbed it in a moment, and we had him fast. Those 
on deck had just before been endeavoring to pass a rope 
under his head, and this now slipped up and caught in 
his jaws. No sooner did he feel the iron in his mouth, 
than, darting forward, away he went ahead of the vessel. 
As I sprang on deck the idea struck me that I would 
make him of use. There was no great difficulty, for, 
passing another line over his jaws, we had a regular 
pair of reins on him. One end of the line was brought 
in on the starboard and the other on the larboard bow 
port, while the hook in the nose served to bring him 
sharp up, when he ran too fast. No sooner were these 
arrangements made than away he went at a rapid pace 
ahead, towing us at the rate of at least six knots an 
hour — I like always to be under the mark, for fear of 
being thought guilty of exaggeration. By hauling in, 
now on one side now on the other, we managed to steer 
him very well on our proper course. 

“ The calm continued, but on we glided through the 
water, to the inexpressible astonishment of the crews of 
several craft we passed, who, of course, thought the 
Lady Stiggins must be the Flying Dutchman. As we 
entered the harbor, the surprise of people on shore was 
equally great ; and no sooner did we drop our anchor, 


MARMADUKB MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 241 

than the brig was surrounded by boats full of people, 
eager to hear an explanation of the phenomenon. They 
could scarcely credit our assertions when we told them 
how we had got along, till we showed them the mon- 
ster frisking about under the bows almost as tame and 
docile as a dog. 

“ I had always a wonderful knack of managing pets 
of all sorts, and by kindly treating Jack Shark he became 
very fond of me, and whenever I went on shore, he 
would swim after the boat, and remain frolicking about 
near her till my return. At last I thought I would 
make him of use ; so, rigging a pair of short reins, I 
slipped them over his jaws, and then jumped on his 
back. He understood in a moment what was expected 
of him, and away he went with me at a rapid rate 
through the water. After that, lighting my pipe quite 
comfortably, I invariably went on shore on his back, 
and throwing my reins over a post, I used to leave him 
till my return. You may depend on it, none of the 
little blackamoors ever played tricks with him. 

“ There are many of the principal merchants and 
others at Kingston even now, who would, young gentle- 
men, if you were to ask them, vouch for the truth of 
the circumstance. Just ask them, and hear what they’ll 
say. The curious part of it was, that though so tame 
with me, he would attack anybody else, and not a sea- 
man from any of the ships dared to attempt swimming 
on shore as they had frequently before done. In fact 
he did swallow one or two ; and I believe that he was 
voted a perfect nuisance, so that every one was glad 
when we and our pet left the harbor to prosecute our 


842 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAIf. 

voyage. Of course he followed us ; and I used every 
morning to heave him a piece of pork for his breakfast, 
a few casks of which I bought cheap of a Jew on pur 
pose. It was measly, but he didn’t mind that. And 
now I’m coming to the melancholy part of the history 
connected with my pet shark. But I have talked a 
good deal, and in this warm weather it’s an exertion 
even to use one’s jaws ; so young gentlemen, you must 
excuse me from continuing my veracious narrative for 
the present.” 

“ Oh, do go on, Mr. Johnson — do go on,” we all ex- 
claimed ; but the boatswain was inexorable, and, as it 
happened, it was some time before we heard the sequel 
to his history of the shark. 

The next day. Gray, and I, and Spellman, were or- 
dered to join the schooner with twenty hands. Perigal 
still kept command, and at the last moment McAllister 
came on board to act as his first lieutenant, with the 
assistant surgeon Macquoid, and a clerk, Bobus, as 
purser. Of course the schooner did not require so many 
ofiicers and men to navigate her, but we hoped to take 
many prizes, and hands, of course, would be wanted to 
bring them home. We invited the old colonel to accom- 
pany us. With a most amusing grimace, and an inimi- 
table shake of the head and shrugs of the shoulders, he 
answered, “ Ah, mes jeunes gentlemens, I do love voua 
va-a mosh ; but de mer — de terrible mer. I do vish 
de verld ver von big earth and no vater.” So we had 
to leave the colonel and our French lessons behind ; but 
we assured him that we would study hard during our 
absence. Good as were our intentions, it was not very 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 243 

likely that we could adhere to them, and, by the expres- 
sion of his countenance, the colonel showed that he was 
strongly of that opinion. 

We sailed at daybreak, and had the land breeze to 
take us out of the harbor. Our course was to the 
southward, toward the well-known Spanish Main. Our 
schooner was the Espoir. She sailed well, and carried 
two eighteen-pounders and six long eights, so that we 
had every reason to hope that we should pick up some 
prizes, if we did not get taken ourselves. That last 
contingency did not occur to us. Though it was hot, 
and we were rather crowded in the cabin, we had a 
very pleasant time on board. We naturally messed to- 
gether, and had secured all the good things from the 
shore, in the shape of fruits and vegetables, and poultry 
and liquor, which we could collect. It is very well for 
poets and authors to make their heroes contented with 
hard fare. I can only say that midshipmen are not, if 
they know that better is to be got ; and I have observed, 
whenever I have been in the society of poets and other 
authors, that, practically, they have enjoyed a good 
dinner as much as any class of people could do, and 
been very much inclined to grumble if they did not get 
it, too. We were out some days without sighting a 
single sail, but we were not the less merry, living upon 
hope, and the good fare our caterer, Macquoid, had col- 
lected. At length a sail was seen, and chase made. It 
was some time before we could make out whether the 
stranger was a man-of-war or merchantman, a friend or 
foe. She was a brig, we soon discovered, and when we 
saw her up helm and run off before the wind, we had no 


244 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

doubt as to her pacific character. Still she might be 
English, and, if so, we should have had our chase for 
nothing. She was a slow sailer, for we came up with 
her rapidly. We had showed no colors, and had got 
her within range of our long guns, when up went the 
French ensign. A cheer burst from our throats. It 
would have been more hearty if we had thought she had 
been armed. We showed our colors in return. On we 
stood, firing a shot wide of her as a signal for her to 
heave to. She obeyed, and we, heaving to near her, 
McAllister, with Spellman and a boat’s crew, were sent 
to take possession. The boat was sent back with several 
of the French crew. The prize was not a rich one, but 
she was too valuable to be destroyed, so Perigal directed 
Spellman to take her to Jamaica, allowing him four 
hands. Miss Susan did not at all like having his cruise 
cut so short, but we congratulated him on the honor of 
having a separate command, being ourselves very well 
contented to continue on board the Espoir. For two 
days more we stood south, when, at daybreak, another 
sail was descried from the masthead. She was a 
schooner, and, from the squareness of her yards, her 
taunt masts, and her white canvas, we suspected that, 
should she be an enemy, she would prove a very differ- 
ent sort of customer to the slow-sailing brig we had just 
before captured. That she was not afraid of us was 
very evident, for, throwing her head-sails aback, she 
awaited our coming. In a short time we made out the 
French ensign flying at her peak, and we concluded that 
she was a privateer, probably with a large crew, and 
well-armed. Perigal, on this, called all hands aft. 


1 . 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 245 

“Now, my lads,” said he, “ that craft is an enemy ; very 
likely twice as many men dance on her decks as on 
ours ; but they are Frenchmen, and I want to shoAV that 
we are English, every one, to th#^ backbone, and see how 
quickly we can take her. I have nothing more to say, 
except to tell you not to throw your shot away, and, if 
it comes to boarding, when you strike, strike home.” 
Three hearty cheers was the response to this address. 
The old mate was not much given to oratory, but, when 
he spoke, he never failed to speak to the purpose. 
Arms were served out, and pistols were stuck in belts, 
and cutlasses buckled on ; muskets were loaded, and 
arranged in readiness for use ; powder and round shot 
were brought on deck, and the men, stripped to the 
waist, with handkerchiefs bound round their heads, stood 
ready for action. They looked as grim and determined 
a set as a commanding officer would wish to see ; but 
still, jokes were bandied about one from the other, and 
it did not seem to occur to any of them that, before 
another hour of time had slipped by, in all probability 
several might be numbered with the dead. Ned Barn- 
brick was at the helm, with his eye cast ever and anon 
at the canvas, and then at the Frenchman, as we glided 
on rapidly toward him, just as cool and unconcerned as 
if he was standing up to speak a friend. We had the 
weather-gauge, and Perigal resolved to keep it. Sup- 
posing the enemy superior to us in strength, it would 
give us an important and necessary advantage. To a 
sailor’s eye it was a pretty sight to see the two schooners 
approaching. The Espoir was a handsome craft, and sc 
was her antagonist. We did not at first show our colors 
20 * 


246 MABMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

No sooner, however, did we hoist them than the French^ 
man filled his sails and tacked, in the hope of weather- 
ing on us, firing at the same time a gun of defiance. 
We suspected that he had not till then known exactly 
what to make of us, and possibly had taken us for a 
friend. However, the Frenchmen were now in for it, 
and, like brave men, were resolved to fight it out. We 
were now near enough for our long-eights to tell, and 
the very first shot, flying high, knocked away the jaws 
of the enemy’s main gaff, wounding at the same time 
the head of the mainmast. At seeing this, a hearty 
cheer rose from all on board. It was a prognostic of 
success. 

“ If we’d tried to do that same we could not have 
succeeded,” observed McAllister. c« i gay^ Perigal, you 
must let me take that craft to Jamaica.” 

“ With all my heart, my boy, when she’s ours ; but 
it’s ill luck to give away what doesn’t belong to us,” 
answered our skipper. 

cc Never mind ; but she will be before many minutes 
are over,” persisted M‘Allister. “ Now, lads, just follow 
suit to that shot, and we’ll do for the mounseers in a 
very short time.” 

By this fortunate shot we had the enemy almost in 
our power. She ran off before the wind, and we soon 
came up with her, and hung on her quarter, so that she 
could rarely bring more than one gun at a time to bear 
on us. She had fired several shots without effect, but 
at last to make amends, one came flying diagonally 
across our deck, taking off the head of one of our men, 
and knocking over a second, who survived but a few 


BIABMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 247 

moments. A few more such fatal shots would sadly 
have thinned our numbers. The enemy had a good 
number of men on deck, but not so many as we expect- 
ed. Some were sent aloft to try and repair the damage 
to the gaff, and this, as we had got within musket range, 
we did our best to prevent by keeping up a fire of small 
arms at them. I had seized a musket, and with others 
was blazing away, not very eflTectually, for the men con- 
tinued their work, and no one appeared to be hurt, 
when, just as I had fired, I saw a man drop stone dead 
upon the deck. It was my shot had done the deed. A 
sickening sensation came over me. I felt as if I had 
committed a murder. It would have been different had 
I hit one of the men at the guns, but the poor fellow 
was performing, so it seemed, but an ordinary piece of a 
seaman’s duty ; my blood was cool, I did not feel that 
he was my enemy. Perhaps the idea was foolish ; it 
did not last long. The rest of the men aloft were soon 
driven on deck, and shooting ahead, we ranged up along- 
side, and poured in the whole of our broadside. The 
enemy returned our fire, but our men worked their guns 
almost twice as quick as the Frenchmen did, aiming 
much better, and the effect was soon apparent in their 
shattered bulwarks, deck strewed with slain, and torn 
sails. 

“ Blaze away, lads,” shouted McAlister, as he went 
from gun to gun, pointing one, lending a hand to run 
out another, or to load a third. 

Still the gallant Frenchmen fought on. They were 
very unlike old Pinchard and his men ; but there was this 
difference, they were sailors, whereas the others were 


248 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

soldiers, and it was the mal de mer in that instance 
deserved the credit of the victory more than we did. 
This close firing soon got our blood up, and I now felt 
anxious to run the enemy aboard, that we might be at 
them with our cutlasses. I have not often found French- 
men foolhardy : they know when they are beaten. En- 
glishmen don’t, and so sometimes stumble against all 
rule into victory. Just as Perigal had ordered Barn- 
brick to put the helm to starboard, to run the enemy 
aboard, the French captain hauled down his flag, and, 
coming to the gangway, made us a profound bow, as an 
additional sign that he had struck. We immediately 
ceased firing, and as our boats had escaped damage, one 
was lowered, and McAllister and I went on board to 
take possession. We had certainly contrived in a short 
hour considerably to spoil the beauty of the French 
schooner, and dreadfully to diminish the number of her 
crew. Her brave captain and most of his officers were 
wounded, and six men were killed and ten wounded. 
Her captain received us on the quarter-deck, where he 
stood ready to deliver his sword with the greatest polite- 
ness, as if it was really a pleasant act he was perform- 
ing, and assured us that it was the fortune de la guerre^ 
and that he had learned to yield to fortune without a 
murmur. 

“ He really is one of the pleasantest Frenchmer I 
have ever met,” observed McAllister. c< "y^e must treat 
him with all consideration.” 

Curiously enough, this remark of my messmate kept 
continually running in my head, and I could not help 
repeating it. We had plenty to do to bury the dead. 


MARMADUKZ MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 249 

wash the decks, repair the masts, and spars, and bul- 
warks, and to splice the rigging, and bend fresh sails. 
McAllister was directed to go as prize-master, and I with 
Bambrick, Foley, and four other hands accompanied 
him; some of the French crew were removed on board 
the Espoir, but the captain, two officers, and eight men 
remained with us as prisoners. 

Perigal had, in fact, already, more prisoners than his 
own crew now mustered. Our new prize was the 
Audacieuse, a larger vessel and better armed than the 
Espoir. By nightfall we had made great progress in 
getting the prize to rights, and as our own vessel had 
suffered but little, we were able to bestow all our 
strength upon her. Both Perigal and M‘Allister were 
very anxious to continue the cruise together. The 
objection to this was the number of our prisoners. Still, 
as M‘Allister argued, the commander of the prize. 
Lieutenant Preville, was a very quiet sort of fellow, 
and the men left on board were orderly and well- 
behaved, so that he should have no difficulty- in keeping 
them under. 

“ But, remember, M‘Allister, that crews have some- 
times risen against their captors, and retaken their 
vessels. It will be necessary to be very careful,” 
observed Perigal. 

“ Oh, never fear, my old fellow ; I should think that 
we seven Englishmen could keep a dozen or more 
Frenchmen in order,” answered M‘Allister, with a some- 
what scornful laugh. “ If we go into action, we will 
clap them under hatches, and they will be quiet eijough, 
depend on that.” 


250 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

At length Perigal yielded, and the Audacieuse^s 
masthead having been finished, and all other damages 
made good, we continued our cruise together. Lieu- 
tenant Pr^ville was a gentleman, and really a very 
pleasant fellow ; and, to show our appreciation of his 
good qualities, we invited him to live in his own cabin, 
and to partake of the delicacies which he had laid in for 
his own special use, which was generous on our part ; 
and which conduct he did not fail to acknowledge by 
doing ample justice to the viands. He frequently, too, 
would tuck up his sleeves, and, going into the galley, 
would cook dishes, which I doubt that any Parisian chSf 
could have surpassed. 

“ Ah, ma foi,” he observed in French when we com- 
plimented him on his success. “ In my opinion a man 
has no right to claim the character of a civilized being, 
much less of a chef, unless he can produce a complete 
dinner from an old tom-cat and a bundle of nettle-tops. 
He should depend on the fire and the sources managed 
by his own skill. The rest of the materials are nothing. 
The fire brings every thing to the same condition.” 
Certainly Lieutenant Preville managed to give us an 
infinite variety of dishes, to all appearance, the founda- 
tion of which, to the best of my belief, was salt pork, and 
beef of a very tough and dry nature. Of course, such 
a man would soon win his way into the good graces of 
far more stoical beings than English midshipmen are 
apt to be at present, or were in those good old days. 


HA^MADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 251 


CHAPTER XI. 

“Well, Marmaduke, my boy, we are having a jolly 
cruise of it,” observed McAllister one afternoon, as we 
walked the deck together, having just partaken of an 
especially good dinner, dressed by our most polite and 
obsequious prisoner. Lieutenant Prdville. “ If we 
could but fall in with two or three more fat prizes we 
should be able to set up as independent gentlemen when 
we get back home again, and I should be able to regain 
the lands of the McAllisters from the southern churl 
who has dared to take possession of them.” 

cc They are not very extensive, then, I conclude,” I 
observed. ‘CA midshipman’s share of prize money, 
even for the richest galleon of old Spain, would not go 
far to purchase much of an estate.” 

cc Extensive ! my boy ; I wish you could just come 
north and have a look at them,” exclaimed McAllister, 
‘c You can’t see from one end to the other, and there is 
the finest of fine old towers, which would be perfectly 
habitable, if it were not for the want of windows, and 
floors, and doors, and other woodwork? and as to the 
lands, to be sure there is a somewhat considerable pre- 
ponderance of bog and moor, but oats and potatoes 
grow finely on the hill-sides. Ah, my boy, I know well 
enough what’s what — the value of rich pastures and 
corn-fields — but there’s nothing like the home of one’s 
ancestors — the heathery hills of old Scotland — for all 
that.” 


252 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


My shipmate spoke with deep feeling, though he had 
begun in a half-joking vein. Our prisoner joined us, 
and put a stop to the conversation. He offered to go 
down for his guitar, and, returning with it on deck, he 
touched the strings, and sang a light French song with 
much taste and with a fair voice. We complimented 
him on his performance. 

“ Ah, you like singing ; I will sing to you night and 
day, ma foi.” He observed, “ It is a satisfaction to a 
man of sentiment to give pleasure to his friends, and I 
look upon you as my friends in spite of our relative 
positions. They arise from the circumstances of war. 
We are friends — true friends — why should w'e be 
otherwise?” Then he resumed his guitar and sang 
again as gaily as before. 

We and our consort kept close together, and as the 
sailing powers of the two vessels were pretty equal, 
there was little danger of our being separated. Two 
days after this it fell a dead calm. There we lay, not 
quite steady, but rolling gently from side to side, moved 
by the scarcely perceptible and glassy undulations which 
rose under our keels. The sails went flap-flap against 
the masts in the most senseless manner, till M‘Allister 
ordered them to be furled to prevent the wear and tear 
they were undergoing. As to the heat, I had never be- 
fore felt any thing like it in the tropics. We could have 
baked a leg of mutton almost, much more fried a beef- 
steak, on the capstan-head, while below a dish of apples 
might easily have been stewed. I remembered Mr. 
Johnson’s account of the heat in the West Indies, and 
began to fear that he had not exaggerated it. It 


MABMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 253 

went on growing hotter and hotter, or we felt the heat 
more and more. The smoke from the chimney of the 
galley went right up in a*thin column, and hung in 
wreaths over our heads, while that from our cigars, be- 
ing of a lighter character, ascended above our noses, 
and finally disappeared in the blue quivering air. The 
Espoir lay within hail of a speaking trumpet, and as 
we had nothing else to do, we carried on an animated 
conversation with each other, not very dignified, but 
highly amusing to all concerned. We had better have 
held our tongues I suspect. Any departure from dis 
cipline is bad. The Frenchmen who were on deck 
«oon began to imitate our example, and, as they mostly 
,oke in a patois or jargon which we of course could 
not understand, we did not know what they were say- 
ing. I thought I saw a peculiar expression on the 
faces of some of them, especially when now and then 
they glanced round and looked at our men. At last, I 
told McAllister that I fancied the Frenchmen were plot- 
ting treason, and that it would be wise to make them 
hold their tongues. He laughed at the notion, and 
asked if I supposed a set of frog-eating, grinning 
Frenchmen would dare to lift a finger against such a 
crew of bull-dog Englishmen as were our men. 

“ I cannot say they wouldn’t,” I answered ; “ they 
fought pretty toughly before they gave in.” 

“ Very true, but they had a chance of victory then. 
Now the chances would be all against them, and they 
might expect to be pitched overboard if they failed,” 
he replied, turning away as if he did not like the sug- 
gestion. Hoj however, soon after hailed Perigal, to say 
22 


254 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

that he thought we had had enough of that, and then, 
turning to the French prisoners, told them to hold their 
tongues. After a time a mist seemed to be rising over 
the water, but the heat in no way decreased. 

“ There is something coming,” I observed to McAllis- 
ter. “ What do you think ? ” 

“ Christmas, or perhaps a breeze,” he answered jok- 
ingly ; “ both to all appearances equally far off. I see 
one thing, though, which would make me rather un- 
willing to jump overboard.” He pointed to a black 
triangular object, below which was a long shadowy 
form that was moving slowly round the ship. “ What’s 
that?” 

“The boatswain’s pet shark, I suppose,” said X. 
laughing. “I should almost expect to see the Dor'» 
coming up with a breeze from the nor’ard,” 

“Just jump on his back. Merry, and see if he doesi 
carry you off up to the frigate. It would astonish them 
not a little to see you coming,” said M‘Allister. 

“ Thank you, I leave such wonderful performances to 
wonderful people like Mr. Johnson,” said I. 

Just then the monster, turning up the white of his 
undersides, made a dart at a black bottle and a wisp 
of hay which had been thrown overboard in the morn- 
ing. Down they went into his capacious maw. 

“ Unpleasant sort of pill. I wonder if the glass will 
cut him,” observed M‘Allister. 

I shuddered, for I could not help thinking what would 
have been the fate of any human being who might 
have happened to be overboard. The seamen had 
found out their enemy, and were talking about him, and 


MARMADUKE MERRY, IHE MIDSHIPMAN. 255 

watching his proceedings with suspicious glances. Thej 
have an idea that when a shark follows a vessel some 
one is about to die on board, and that he is waiting for 
the corpse. Sharks have been known to follow vessels 
for days together, but undoubtedly it is simply that 
they may feed on the offal thrown overboard. Of 
course if any seaman happens to die during the time, 
unless he is lashed up in a hammock with a shot at 
his feet, they are likely to be the gainers. I have,, 
however, very often seen them following a ship when 
nobody has died. One example in support of a super- 
stitious idea does more to confirm it in the minds of the 
ignorant, than a hundred examples on the opposite side 
do to weaken the belief in it. 

Not long after this, Perigal hailed McAllister, and 
pointing round to the sky, told him that he did not like 
the look of things. He then signed to us to strike our 
topmasts, and make every thing snug aloft. At the same 
moment the crew of the Espoir were seen swarming 
aloft to shorten sail. We had our sails lowered. Hands 
were now sent aloft to furl them carefully, and to strike 
upper yards and topmasts. While the hands were thus 
engaged, as I was standing by the compass to ascertain 
the direction of the schooner’s head, I saw Perigal 
point to the westward, and make a sign to the men 
aloft to hurry with their work. I did the same, though 
we, having less to do, were ahead in our proceedings 
of our consort. I saw enough to convince me that 
there was no time to be lost. The blackest of black 
clouds had gathered with a rapidity scarcely credible, 
and were rushing on toward us with headlong speed. 


256 MABMADUKB MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

It was not as is often the case when a storm is brewing, 
a few lisht clouds come first, like the skirmishers in 
advance of an army ; but the whole body came on in 
one dense mass, the sea below it foaming, and hissing, 
and curling with a noise which we could hear even 
before the wind reached us. A hurricane was coming, 
and one of no ordinary violence. 

“ Lie down ! lie down, off the yards, all of you,” 
shouted M‘Allister. The men required no second 
command. A glance at the quickly changing sky and 
water told them what was approaching. They slid 
down the rigging, and in silence awaited the bursting 
of the tornado. The Frenchmen who were on deck 
looked pale and anxious, as if they dreaded the conse- 
quences of the hurricane. Bambrick and another good 
hand went to the helm. A part of the fore-staysail 
was hoisted, just to pay the vessel’s head off. We 
were not long kept in suspense. With a loud hiss 
and a roar like thunder the hurricane struck us. The 
schooner heeled over to the gale ; I thought she was 
going over altogether. Many fancied so likewise, and 
cries of terror escaped from several of the Frenchmen. 
Lieutenant Prdville uttered an expression of annoyance 
at the pusillanimity of his countrymen. 

“They are brave gar9ons, though,” he exclaimed, 
“ and fight like heroes with mortal foes of flesh and 
blood ; but they are not like you bull-dog English, who 
fear neither mortals nor spirits, and would do battle 
with the prince of darkness himself, if you met him 
in the open seas on board any craft he might be able 
to charter.” 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 257 

What more the lieutenant might have said I do not 
know, for the howling of the tempest drowned his voice. 
The foaming seas began to rush up the schooner’s deck, 
and dense masses of spray flew over her. I thought, 
indeed, that she was gone ; but, recovering from the 
effects of the fii’st blast, she rose a little when her stay- 
sail felt the force of the wind. Round went her head : 
another blast stronger than the first blew the canvas 
from the bolt-ropes, but the desired effect had been 
produced, and away she flew under bare poles through 
the ocean of seething foam ; the wind howling and 
shrieking, and the waters hissing and roaring as we 
passed over them. 

Till that moment, all my attention having been con- 
centrated on our own craft, I had not thought of our 
consort. I now looked out for her. She was not to be 
found in the direction where I expected to see her. I 
cast my eyes round anxiously on every side. The at- 
mosphere was now so dense with spray torn up from 
the surface of the ocean that the extent of our horizon 
was much limited. Yet I fancied that we must still be 
close to our consort. In vain I looked round. I called 
out to M‘Allister and told my fears. Certain it was 
that the Espoir was nowhere to be seen. I felt very 
sad. I could not help dreading that the Espoir had 
been struck as we were, and being less prepared, had 
capsized and gone over. I thought what had become 
of poor Gray, my constant firm friend, and honest 
Perigal, and I pictured to myself how his young wife 
would mourn his loss, and whether, if I ever got home, 
I should have to go and tell her how it had happened. 

22 * 


258 MAEMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

I remembered that huge monster of a shark, which had 
been swimming round the vessels, and I bethought me 
that he had come for them if not for us. I was not 
singular, for when the Espoir was missed by others, as 
was soon the case when they began to lose fear for 
themselves, I heard Bambrick observe to his companion 
at the helm, “ I thought so ; I know’d that brute hadn’t 
come for nothing ; they always knows better nor we or 
the port-admiral himself what’s in the wind. He was 
as sartain sure as cheese is cheese that this here Harry- 
cane was a coming long before we’d even a notion that 
it was a brewing.” 

The other seaman shook his head with a grave look, 
as he answered, “ I wonder how many of them poor 
fellows he’s got down his hungry maw by this time ! ” 

Such was the style of conversation among our men. 
What the Frenchmen were saying I do not know. 
They very soon recovered their spirits and courage, and 
began laughing and chattering, and dancing about the 
decks in higher spirits than ever. Perhaps they did 
not always intend to move, but the now fast rising seas 
gave the lively little vessel sudden and unexpected 
jerks, which sent them jumping forward or aft, or from 
side to side, whenever they happened not to be holding 
on to any thing. Still I did not feel that we were al- 
together free from danger. The hurricane blew fiercer 
and fiercer, the sea got up also rapidly, and threw the 
vessel about in a way which made it very difficult to 
steer before it. h'ortunately our topmasts were housed, 
or they would have been jerked overboard. I asked 
M‘Allister what he proposed doing. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 259 

Doing ! Why, of course, scud on till the hurricane 
has blown itself out,” he answered. 

“ But doesn^t the wind sometimes shift in a hurri- 
cane, and blow more furiously from another quarter ? ” 
I asked. 

“ Of course it does, and perhaps it will, and we shall 
be blown back again as far as we have come,” he said, 
taking a look at the compass. 

“ But suppose it was to blow us back further than we 
have come,” I observed. 

“ Merry, just go and bring the chart to the companion 
stair,” was his answer. “ It will be blown away if we 
have it on deck, and I cannot go below just now.” 

I brought the chart, of which he took a rapid glance 
Eastward, as we were now driving, we had plenty of 
sea-room, and in a wholesome craft like ours, there wa? 
nothing to fear ; but w'estward there was the coast of 
Central America, fringed by rocks and sandbanks, on 
w'hich many a noble ship has been stranded since Co- 
lumbus discovered the western world. 

“ It is to be hoped that the wind will not shift,” he 
answered. “ It does not always. Don’t let us antici- 
pate evil.” 

Lieutenant Preville inquired what we were talking 
about. We told him. He shrugged his shoulders. 
“ Patience ; the fortune of war ; we seamen must al- 
ways be subject to such reverses,” he remarked. 

“The Frenchman takes things easily,” observed 
M‘Allister. “ I wish that I could do so.” 

I had never before pictured to myself wbat a West 
India hurricane really was. At times I thought that 


260 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

the schooner would be blown fairly out of the water. 
How her masts remained in her was a puzzle, from the 
way she jerked and rolled, and plunged madly onward, 
struggling away from the seas which seemed every mo- 
ment as if they would catch and overwhelm her. Even 
though thus flying before the gale, we felt as if we 
should be blown down, had we not kept a good grip of 
the bulwarks, and those forward had hard work to make 
their way aft. Suddenly there was a lull. The effect 
was curious ; T can liken it to nothing but when, by 
shutting a thick door, some loud hubbub of angry voices 
is no longer heard. The schooner tumbled about just 
as much as before, or even more, but, instead of being 
driven onward, she was thrown madly from wave to 
wave, backwards and forwards ; it seemed as if they 
were playing a game of ball with her. McAllister or- 
dered me to hurry forward and to get some head-sail on 
the schooner. Some of the lower parts of the forestay- 
sail remained. There was no time to bend a new one. 
There had been a little wind before ; it now fell a dead 
calm ; the smoke of a cigar would have ascended as it 
had done a few hours before. It proved but treacher- 
ous : I positively jumped from the suddenness with 
which the hurricane again struck the vessel, and, as we 
had apprehended, from the eastward. Happily the sail 
this time produced the desired effect, turning her head 
from the wind, and then away the canvas flew from the 
bolt-ropes far off upon the gale. Onward we drove as 
before, still more tossed and tumbled. Had our friend, 
Colonel Pinchard, been with us, he would have had 
fome reason to complain of the mol de mer. The Auda- 


MARMADUKB MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 261 

cieuse was a strong tight vessel, or she would have 
sprung a dozen leaks and gone down, with all the knock- 
ing about she got. She, however, remained as dry as a 
bottle. Still, as we rushed on, every instant approach- 
ing nearer and nearer the rocks and sandbanks of the 
coast of Central America, our anxiety increased. It 
was vain to hope that we could heave to, or in any way 
stop our mad career. We had done all that could be 
done, and had now only calmly to wait our fate, what- 
ever Providence had designed that should be. It is 
under such circumstances as this, that the courage and 
resignation of men are most severely tried. All action 
has of necessity ceased, the body is at rest, the mind 
has now full time for thought. Numberless acts of the 
past life rise up to the recollection, many a deed, and 
thought, and word, wliich must bring either pain or fear j 
principles undergo a test which the wrong and baseless 
cannot bear. Death looks terribly near. What can 
stand a man in good stead on an occasion like this ? 
One thing, and one thing alone — sound Bible religion ; 
a firm faith in Him who took our nature upon Him, and 
died for our sins, and rose again, that He might present 
us, rising with Him, faultless before the throne of Grace. 
I say that is the only thing that can make a man feel 
perfectly happy under such circumstances. I have seen 
many men stand boldly up to meet expected death, who 
have no such hope, no such confidence ; but their cheeks 
have been pale, their lips have quivered, and oh, the 
agony depicted in their eyes. The soul was speaking 
through them, and told of its secret dread. Let no one 
be deceived by the outward show, the gallant bearing 


262 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


of a man. Too often, all within is terror, horror un- 
speakable, of the near-approaching, unknown future. 

We had still a long way to drive before we could 
reach the neighborhood of the dreadful shoals and reefs. 
Most of the men, probably, were ignorant of the risks 
we were about to encounter. Happily, perhaps, for sea- 
men, they seldom realize danger till it presents itself 
palpably before them. The Frenchmen, after a time 
gaining confidence, began to laugh and joke as before. 
Our men stood calm and grave at their posts. Not that 
they saw danger or felt fear, but that they were engaged 
in their duty, and knew that much depended on their 
steadiness and courage. Night came on ; it was far 
more trying than the day. I felt very tired ; but as to 
turning in, that was out of the question. Hours after 
hours we flew on, plunging headlong through the dark- 
ness, and often, to my excited imagination, strange 
shrieks and cries seemed to come out of the obscurity. 
Once, as we flew on, as I stood watching black masses 
of water rising on our quarter and rolling on abeam of 
us, I fancied that I saw a large ship, her hull with her 
lofty masts towering up to the skies close to us. It ap- 
peared as if another send of the sea would have driven 
us aboard her. I thought that I could distinguish people 
leaning over her bulwarks watching us with longing 
eyes. There was a gush of waters from her scuppers. 
I could hear the clang of the pumps ; she was already 
deep in the water, rolling heavily ; cries arose from her 
decks ; lower and lower she sank. I watclied her with 
straining eyes. A dark sea rose up between her and 
the schooner. She was no longer where she had been •: 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 263 

the tracery of hei masts and rigging appeared for an 
instant above the water, and then sank forever. I 
uttered a cry of regret. McAllister shouted to me, and 
asked me why I had gone to sleep. I declared that I 
had been wide awake, and told him what I had seen. 

“ You’ve sharper eyes than any one else,” he an- 
swered. “ You must have been asleep ; we passed no 
ship, depend on that.” 

I insisted on it that we had, and that he had not been 
looking out as I had ; and from that day to this day I 
am uncertain which was right. I must, however, own 
that none of the men had seen the sinking ship ; but 
then I hold that neither were they looking out ; and it 
was but a few moments that she was in sight. 

“ Had all on board seen her, we could have rendered 
her hapless crew no assistance,” I thought to myselt : 
“ so it does not signify.” 

On we drove. I never spent a more trying night at 
sea. I thought the morning never would come, or the 
gale end. The morning, however, did come, as it always 
does for those who wait for it. We were still driving on 
furiously, and as the cold gray light of the early dawn 
broke on the world of waters, the tossing ocean seemed 
more foam-covered and agitated than even on the pre- 
vious day. I could see no signs of the cessation of the 
hurricane, nor did McAllister. Bambrick, however, 
observed that he thought there was less wind, and that 
it blew with more steadiness than before. The French- 
men gave no opinion ; indeed, most of them were below 
asleep. I worked my way forward to look out ahead. 
T stood by the side of the man stationed there for some 
minutea. 


S64 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

“ The sea is terribly broken away on the starboard 
bow there,” I said. 

Yes, sir, I don’t like the looks of it,” was the answer 
as we continued gazing. We did not speak again for 
some minutes. It was as I feared though. 

“ Breakers ! breakers ahead ! ” we both simultane- 
ously shouted. “ Breakers ! breakers on the starboard 
bow ! ” 

“ Starboard the helm,” cried McAllister, in a deep 
tone, without the slightest sign of agitation. It was 
doubtful if the vessel would feel the effect of the helm 
sufficiently to prevent her drifting bodily to leeward. 
On we drove. Another moment might see the vessel 
and all on board hurled to destruction. The stoutest 
vessel ever built could not hold together for two minutes 
should she strike on rock or sandbank with the awful 
sea then running dashing over her. I drew my breath 
short and clenched my teeth as we approached the 
broken water. The spray flew over our mast heads. 
Still we did not strike ; the dreaded breakers appeared 
abeam. We had passed the .head of a bank or reef. 
I saw some rocks and sand with a few trees in the dis- 
tance, probably part of an island, easily discerned under 
ordinary circumstances above water. The danger for 
the moment was past, but there was no doubt that we 
had reached that portion of the Caribbean sea most 
studded with danger. Any moment we might again be 
among reefs. All we could do was to look out ahead, 
and pray and hope that we might escape them, as we 
had done the first. Half an hour or twenty minutes 
passed ; some tall palm-trees amid the misty atmosphere 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 265 

appeared bending to the breeze on the larboard bow. It 
was doubtful whether reefs might not run out to the 
northward, and if so we could scarcely escape striking 
on them. The helm was, however, put to port, that we 
might pass as far as we could from the island. McAllis- 
ter hurried forward, and, taking a steady look, declared 
liis conviction that there was a reef to the northward of 
the island, and that if we could get a little sail on the 
schooner, we might run under its lee and ride in safety 
till the tempest was over. The very thought of the 
possibility of this renewed our spirits. The wind had 
certainly lessened. Rousing up the Frenchmen to lend 
a hand, we got a main-trysail and fore-staysail hoisted. 
The little craft heeled over as, once more putting the 
helm to starboard, we brought her closer to the wind, in 
a way which made it seem probable that she would 
never recover herself ; but she did, though ; and now we 
flew on, plunging through the seas which broke on our 
larboard quarter toward the island. We drove, of course, 
to leeward very fast, but still we had hopes that we might 
round its northern end before we drove past it altogether. 
Everybody on board stood clustered on deck, watching 
the island, and ever and anon casting anxious glances 
at the canvas. It stood now, though an hour before it 
would not have done so. We approached the island. 

cc Breakers ! breakers on the starboard bow ! breakers 
on the larboard bow ! ” shouted the men forward. I 
caught sight of some less broken water ahead. We 
steered toward it. In another moment our fate would 
be decided. We flew on ; the sea broke terrifically on 
eitner hand, but the schooner did not strike. The 
23 


266 MARMADUKE MERRY. THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

water became calmer — the island grew more and 
more abeam. We flattened in the canvas, and, standing 
toward the land, in another ten minutes found ourselves 
in a sheltered bay, where, though our mastheads still 
felt the force of the gale, the wind scarcely reached us on 
deck. Our anchor was dropped and we rode in safety. 
I could have fallen on my knees and thanked Heaven 
for our merciful preservation from so many dangers, but 
such an act was not in accordance with our usual habits, 
and I was kept back from fear of what my companions 
would say. How miserable and contemptible is such 
a feeling ! We are not afraid of displeasing our all- 
beneficent Creator, or appearing ungrateful for Hig 
mercies, and we are afraid of the ridicule of our fellow- 
men, or even of a sneer from the lips of those we despise 
the most. I dare say, if the truth were known, that 
McAllister, Bambrick, and others felt exactly as I did, 
and yet we were positively afraid of showing our feel- 
ings to each other. What a contrast did our present 
position exhibit to the wild tossing to and fro, and the 
strife of elements we had just passed through. Here 
(for the wind dropped rapidly) all was calm and quiet ; 
the mist dissipated, the sun shone forth, and the blue 
waters of the bay sparkled as they rippled gently on the 
light yellow sand, strewed with numberless beautifully 
colored shells ; while numerous tall palm-trees and 
shrubs of lower growth formed a bright fringe of green 
round the shores of the bay. 

As we wanted water, and all agreed that some fresh 
cocoa-nuts would be very pleasant, I took a boat with 
four hands, two Englishmen and two Frenchmen, and, 


MAEMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 267 

accompanied by. Lieutenant Pr^ville, pulled on shore. 
I also took a fowling-piece, in the hopes of getting a 
shot at some birds. There was no lack of cocoa-nuts, 
which the hurricane had blown off on the ground, many 
of the trees themselves being laid prostrate. We had to 
hunt about some time before we found a spring. At 
length we came on one overshadowed by trees, where, by 
clearing away the ground with our spades, we could fill 
our casks. I with the two Englishmen were still at the 
spring, when the French lieutenant and his two coun- 
trymen were rolling down a cask to the boat. I fol- 
lowed, and when yet at some distance, I saw the 
Frenchman step into the boat and begin shoving off. I 
ran on, and having some bullets in my waistcoat pocket, 
I dropped one down the barrel of my fowling-piece, 
which I presented at the lieutenant’s head, ordering him 
to come back. He did not at first pay any attention to 
my threats ; I hailed again, and told him that I had 
loaded with a bullet, and that I did not approve of the 
joke he was playing. I at the same time saw some of 
the Frenchmen on board the schooner making signs to 
him. Suddenly, he turned round, as if he had only just 
seen me, and the boat pulled back to the shore. 

“ I demand a thousand pardons, monsieur,” he ex- 
claimed, with the blandest of smiles. “I was only 
joking, but I am afraid from your countenance, that my 
vivacity carried me too far.” He went on for a consid- 
erable time in this style, till my two men came down 
with their cask, and then, shoving off, we returned on 
board. I asked McAllister if he had observed any 
thing peculiar in the behavior of the prisoners while I 
was on shore. 


168 MARMADUKE MERRT, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

“ I was below for a short time, and when I came on 
deck I found them clustering on the rigging forward,” 
he answered carelessly. “ I called them down, as it is 
against orders, and they immediately obeyed.” 

I told him of the odd conduct of Lieutenant Preville 
but he observed that he thought it w'as only the French- 
man’s joke, though it might be wise to keep a stricter 
look-out on the prisoners than we had lately done. We 
had little time, however, for, pretty well worn out with 
the fatigues we had endured for the last four-and-twen- 
ty hours, we were glad to take the opportunity of being 
in a snug harbor to turn in and go to sleep. Before 
doing so, however, I told Bambrick, who had charge of 
the deck, to direct the sentry placed over the prisoners, 
to keep his weather eye open, lest they should play us 
any trick. Tops are said to sleep soundly ; I know from 
experience that midshipmen do. From the moment I 
put my head on the pillow it seemed but a moment that 
I was roused up to keep the morning watch. I found 
a light breeze blowing from the southward. It would 
not do to lose this opportunity of getting clear out to 
sea again: so I went down to M‘Allister, who soon 
joined me, and agreed that I was right. The anchor 
was weighed, and under easy sail we ran out through 
the passage by which we had entered this harbor of 
refuge. As I looked on the rocks on either side, now 
showing their dark heads above water, it seemed won- 
derful how, with so terrific a hurricane blowing, we had 
safely entered. How often thus through life are we 
steered safely by a merciful Providence, amidst hosts 
of dangers which we do not at the time see, and for 


MARMADUKB MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 26f 

protection against which we are but too often most mis* 
erably unthankful. We were soon clear of the island, 
out it was necessary to keep a very bright look-out to 
avoid running on the reefs which we had before escaped. 
Several times we saw rocks on either hand, and break- 
ers still dashing wildly up, showing that reefs or banks 
were there, and more and more astonished were we 
that we had passed between them in safety. Lieuten- 
ant Pr^ville shrugged his shoulders. 

“ It would need a good pilot to carry a vessel in safe- 
ty between those reefs as we came yesterday,” he ob- 
served. “ But, after all, the best pilot is the Goddess 
Chance, who guided us.” 

“ Chance, monsieur ! Chance ! ” exclaimed McAllis- 
ter, with a vehemence in which he seldom indulged, 
‘c I do not believe that there is such a thing as chance, 
much less a goddess. I am not going to discuss the 
subject, only don’t talk to me of chance.” 

The Frenchman again shrugged his shoulders, hoped 
that he had not given offence, and walked away, hum- 
ming a tune. He continued, however, as polite and 
obliging as at first. He declared that we wanted a good 
dinner after our labors, and insisted on cooking it. He 
outshone himself, and with some shell-fish we had picked 
up, and two birds I had shot, produced some wonderful- 
ly delicious dishes. The wind held fair, but it was 
light, and it required us constantly to be on the look-out 
to thread our way among the dangers which surrounded 
us. Our anxiety, too, was very great for the fate of 
cur consort. She was nowhere to be seen, and our 
fears were increased that she had gone down when 
23 * 


270 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

first struck bj the hurricane. We did not breathe 
freely till we were well out at sea, clear of all reefs and 
shoals. Lieutenant Preville especially complimented us 
on the seamanship we had displayed, and assured us that 
it was a great satisfaction to him to have been our ship- 
mate through so trying an event. McAllister and I 
now agreed that if we did not fall in with the Espoir, it 
was undoubtedly our duty to return to Jamaica. We 
accordingly cruised about for two days, and then shaped 
a course for that island. The next night it was my 
middle watch on deck. It had struck seven bells, and I 
was contemplating the satisfaction I should feel in turn- 
ing in and going to sleep, when I suddenly found the 
French lieutenant walking by my side. This was 
against rule, as none of the prisoners were allowed to 
come on deck at night without the permission of the 
officer of the watch. He apologized, saying that he 
was oppressed with the heat, and knew that I would 
allow him to come. In a little time he professed to 
see a light ahead, and induced me to walk forward to 
look at it. Just as I was abreast of the foremast I 
found my arms seized, a gag thrust into my mouth, and 
a handkerchief bound over my eyes, so that I could 
neither struggle, cry out, nor see what was going for- 
ward. The horrible conviction came on me that the 
Frenchmen were attempting to recapture the vessel. 
I hoped that M‘Allister might be awake, as he was 
so soon to relieve me. The suspense, however, was 
terrible. I found myself secured to the bulwarks, and 
left to my cogitations. I argued the worst, because 
there was no cry; no shots fired. There I sat, it 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 271 

seemed an age, listening for some sounds. I was almost 
sure that the Frenchman had mastered all our people 
on deck, even Ned Bambrick. At length I heard one 
French seaman speaking ; he was making a report to 
Lieutenant Preville. A loud cheer was the response, 
“ Vive I’Empereur, vive la France ! ” I knew full well 
by this, that they were in entire possession of the vessel. 
My heart sank within me. It was bad enough to lose 
our prize ; it would be worse to be thrown overboard, 
or to have our throats cut. I did not, however, think 
that the Frenchmen would do that. They would take 
very good care, though, that we did not regain the 
vessel. Such being the case, I really felt almost indif- 
ferent as to what became of us. After all the civility we 
had shown Lieutenant Pr4ville, 1 thought that he might 
as well have released me from my uncomfortable posi- 
tion, with my arms lashed tightly behind me, and a gag 
in my mouth. I heard some orders issued in French, 
and the blocks rattling, and yards creaking, as if the 
sails were being trimmed, and the schooner’s course 
altered. Hour after hour passed by, at last I fell asleep 
with a crick in my neck, and the sound of a Frenchman’s 
voice in my ear. 

“ Oh pauvre miserable ! ” said the voice ; “ why W9 
forgot him.” 

Such was' the fact, not very complimentary to my 
importance. I had been overlooked. The speaker 
tooV the handkerchief off my eyes. It was daylight, 
and the schooner was running under all sail before a 
fair breeze. 

Lieutenant Preville soon appeared, and, telling the 


272 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

men to cast me loose, invited me, in a tone of irony 
I fancied, to join my brother officer at breakfast with 
him. 

Poor M‘Allister looked dreadfully cast down. We 
took our seats in silence. Our host, who had yesterday 
been our guest, was in high spirits. 

“ It is the fortune of war, you well know. Monsieur 
Merry,” he observed with a provoking smile.. “ Brave 
gar9ons like you know how to bear such reverses with 
equanimity. I can feel for you, though, believe me. 
Monsieur McAllister, I drink to your health, though I 
fear that you will not be a lieutenant as soon as you 
expected. Here, take some of this claret, it will revive 
your spirits.” 

My messmate seized the decanter of wine, which it 
is the custom of the French to have on the table at 
breakfast, and drank off a large tumbler. He drew a 
long breath after he had done so. 

“ You have the advantage of us this time undoubt- 
edly, Monsieur Pr^ville,” he exclaimed bitterly ; ‘c but 
a day will come when we shall meet together on equal 
terms, and then, I hope, as brave men we shall fight it 
out to the death.” 

“ With pleasure, assuredly,” answered the French- 
man, with the politest of bows and smiles. “ But in 
the mean time you must endeavor to restrain your 
impetuosity. At present it would be impossible to give 
you the satisfaction you require.” 

“ Poor M‘Allister ground his teeth ; the words were 
taunting, but the expression of the Frenchman’s coun- 
tenance was more so. He would have sprung up and 


1LA.RMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 278 

fought him then and there, with carving-knives or any 
weapons at hand ; but he restrained himself for a good 
reason. The lieutenant had a brace of loaded pistols 
by his side on the table, and two seamen stood on 
either side of us with loaded muskets, ready to blow 
out our brains, had we exhibited any signs of insubor- 
dination. M‘Aliister went on eating his breakfast in 
silence. 

The lieutenant pointed to the men and to his pistols. 

“ These are to do you honor,” he observed. “ They 
are the greatest compliment we can pay to your bravery. 
Unless you were handcuffed, I should not think myself 
safe a moment.” 

“We did not treat you so,” I remarked. 

“ No my friend,” he replied, smiling ; “ but you are 
prisoners, and I have regained command of my schooner.” 

I had not a word to say, but I resolved to profit by 
the lesson in my future career. 

We were not allowed to communicate with any of 
our men, who were kept under strict watch forward, 
and only permitted to come on deck one at a time, in 
charge of a sentry. M‘Allister and I even had no op- 
portunity of communicating with each other. When we 
went on deck, an armed man walked up and down by 
our side, and when we approached the compass, we 
were ordered away, so that we could not tell what 
course we were steering, except by guessing from the 
position of the sun. 

Of course, with all the care the Frenchmen took, we 
had very little hopes of being able to retake the schoon- 
er. Neither could we tell what was to be done with us, 


2/4 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

nor did Lieutenant Preville think fit to inform us. 
After all our anticipations of prize money and pleasure 
on shore, to have the inside of a French prison alone in 
view, was very galling to our feelings. McAllister could 
do nothing but mourn his hard fate, and mutter threat- 
enings against France and Frenchmen should he ever 
regain his liberty. Our only hope was that one of our 
own cruisers might fall in with the Audacieuse, and 
that we might thus be set at liberty. Consequently, 
whenever we were on deck we scanned the horizon 
anxiously, resolved, if we caught sight of a sail, not to 
give the Frenchmen too early a notice of the fact. At 
last one day we lay becalmed while a thick mist had 
settled down over the ocean. I began to fear that we 
were going to have another hurricane. The French- 
men did not think so, but took things very easily. The 
look-out came down from aloft, and, except the man 
who was placed as sentry over us, all hands employed 
themselves in mending their clothes and in other similar 
occupations. The man at the helm stood leaning on 
the tiller, lazily watching his companion. Suddenly to 
the westward I saw the mist lift, and, directly under the 
canopy thus formed, I distinctly saw a large ship stand- 
ing down under all sail toward us. I was afraid by 
word or sign to point her out to McAllister, and dreaded 
lest the expression of my countenance might draw the 
attention of any of the crew toward her. She could 
not fail to pass close to us if she continued on the course 
she was steering. I only hoped that the mist would 
lift again, in time to show the Audacieuse to those on 
board her. The mist seemed much to my satisfaction 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 275 

to be settling down again, when at that instant Lieuten- 
ant Pr4ville came on deck. His quick eye instantly 
detected the stranger. Having uttered some forcible 
expletives as to his opinion of his crew’s conduct in not 
keeping a better look-out, he ordered the sails to be 
trimmed, and every stitch of canvas the schooner could 
carry to be set in readiness for the coming breeze. 
McAllister’s and my eagerness may be easily conceived. 
We both had an idea that the ship was English, and 
that she would bring up the breeze. What was our 
disappointment, then, when we saw the schooner’s sails 
filling out. Away she glided before the breeze. The 
mist soon afterwards entirely cleared away, and ex- 
hibited the stranger about two miles off. By her build 
and the cut of her sails she was English. When she 
saw us, all sail was made on board her ; but the Auda- 
cieuse had a fast pair of heels, and it was soon evident 
that she was leaving her pursuer far astern. Our hopes 
sank and sank, and by nightfall we had run her out of 
sight. When morning returned the stranger was no- 
where to be seen. 

Four days thus passed by. They were far from 
agreeable ones. Early on the sixth we found a sub- 
stantial breakfast on the table, and after we had par- 
taken of it with a suspicion that it was to be our last on 
board, we were ordered on deck. Here we found the 
schooner hove to, and all our people assembled, while 
alongside lay one of the schooner’s boats, with oars and 
masts and sails, a water cask, and some hampers and 
cases of provisi(^is. There was a tarpaulin, and tho 
boat was fitted in other respects as far as she could be 
to perform a long voyage. 


276 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

“There, my friends,” observed the lieutenant; “1 
wish to part with you on friendly terms. I do not 
desire to keep you as prisoners, as I am bound on a long 
cruise, and I hope that you may regain your own ship 
in safety. I will give you your course for Jamaica, 
which you may reach in a week ; farewell.” 

We had not a word to say against this arrangement, 
so, thanking the Frenchman for his courtesy, we fol- 
lowed our men, who had before been ordered into the 
boats. Even McAllister could not help putting out his 
hand and exclaiming, ‘‘You are brave, as are most 
Frenchmen, but you are honest and kind-hearted, and 
that is more than I, for one, will say of some of your 
countrymen. 

The lieutenant shrugged his shoulders and laughed 
as he shook our hands. He was in high good spirits, 
as well he might be. We stepped into the boat, and he 
waved his hand ; we shoved off, and bowing as politely 
as we could force ourselves to do, we hoisted our sails 
and shaped a course for Jamaica. The Audacieuse 
filled, and then, hauling her wind, stood away to the 
eastward. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 277 


CHAPTER XII. 

It was satisfactory to be once more at liberty, but a 
voyage in an open boat across the Caribbean sea, when 
it was possible that we might have to encounter another 
hurricane, was not altogether an exploit we should have 
undertaken if we had had our choice. However, as we 
had plenty of provisions and enough water, we had no 
reason to complain. We found, indeed, on looking over 
our stores to select some food for our dinner, that there 
were a dozen of claret and six bottles of brandy. 

“ Really, that fellow Preville is a trump,” I exclaimed, 
as I poured out a glass of the former, and handed it to 
McAllister. “ We’ll drink his health, for he deserves it. 
Come, rouse up, my boy. It’s good liquor ; you’ll not 
deny that.” 

“ I’ll drink his health and long life to him, that we 
may have a better chance of meeting together in mortal 
combat,” answered my messmate, gloomily. “ To have 
our hard-won prize stolen out of our hands in this way 
— it’s more than I can bear. And to have to make our 
appearance on board the frigate witliout our vessel, and 
to report the loss of poor Perigal and the others, is even 
worse.” 

I did my best to rouse up McAllister, and to make 
him see matters in a more cheerful light, but it was no 
easy matter. He was ever dwelling on the fact that the 
prize had been placed under his charge, and that he had 
24 


878 MARMADDKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN, 

lost her. I was sometimes almost afraid that, if not 
watched at night, he would be jumping overboaid, so 
gloomy did he become. Bambrick entertained the same 
idea also, I suspected, and I was glad to see that he 
watched him narrowly. We also did our best to amuse 
him, 'and I got the men to sing songs and spin yarns 
from morning till night. Only one story told by Ned 
Bambrick seemed to afford him much amusement. 

“ You must know, sir, when I was paid off during the 
last peace, I joined a South Sea whaler. You’ve heard 
tell of Botany Bay. Well, that’s nowhere, or that’s to 
say, it is not the place where they send prisoners. But 
there’s a fine harbor near it, which they call Port Jack- 
son, and up it there’s a town which they call the Camp, 
but which has now got the name of Sydney. It’s what 
they call a colony ; that’s to say, a good number of peo- 
ple of all sorts, besides convicts, goes out there, and 
they’ve a governor set over them, who rules the land 
just like any king. He’s a right, real sort of a gover- 
nor, to my mind, for he makes the laws and sees that 
they are obeyed too. He won’t stand no nonsense, and 
though he doesn’t wear a wig and gown, like the judges 
at home, he sits in a court and tries all them who doesn’t 
do what they ought. He hears both parties, and when 
they’ve done, he sings out, ‘ Haul in the slack of your 
jaw tackle, and belay all that,’ and then he goes for to 
say what each party must do, and he won’t hear a word 
more from either of them. Well, as I was a saying, I 
joined a South Sea whaler. I can’t say as how I had 
a pleasant time aboard, but it was better than others 
had. Our captain was one of them chaps as always 


MARMADUKE MERRF, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 279 


does what they choose, and he pretty often chose to do 
what was very bad. He had a quarrel with the doctor 
of the ship, who was a very decent, well-behaved young 
man, and not wanting in spirit. Their disputes went 
on from bad to worse, so what does he do one day, 
but call four or five hands aft, fellows always ready to 
do any dirty work for a glass of grog, and getting hold 
of the poor doctor, clap him into one of the hen-coops. 
‘ Now,’ says he, ‘ you’ll stay there till you beg my 
pardon.’ ‘ I’ll never beg your pardon,’ says the doctor. 

‘ I’ll see if I can’t make you,’ says the captain. Well, 
would you believe it ? the captain kept the poor doctor 
in there, day after day, and always took his meals to 
him himself, cut up into little bits, so that he could 
eat them with a spoon. When he put in the plate, he 
always used to sing out, ‘ Coopity ! coopity ! coopity ! ’ 
just as he would have done if he was feeding the fowls. 
It aggravated the poor doctor, but he couldn’t help 
himself. No one dared speak to the captain, who 
always walked about with a brace of pistols in his belt, 
and swore he’d shoot any one who interfered with him. 
You may be sure I and others felt for the doctor when 
the savage used to go to him, with a grin on his face, 
and sing out, ‘ Coopity ! coopity ! coopity ! ’ The doctor 
would have been starved if he hadn’t taken the food 
when the captain brought it him, with his ‘ Coopity ! 
coopity ! coopity ! ’ 

“ At last, one day, the doctor wouldn’t stand it any 
longer ; so says he, ‘ If you don’t let me out of this. 
I’ll make you sing out “ Coopity, coopity ” from the 
other side of your mouth ; so look out.’ The captain 


280 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

laughed at him, and went on as before. However, we 
had to put into Port Jackson to refit, and it came to 
the ears of the governor that our skipper had a man 
shut up in a hen-coop ; so he sent some soldiers aboard, 
and had the doctor taken out and brought ashore. 
Then there was a regular trial, and the governor heard 
what the doctor had to say, and the skipper and we 
had to say, and then he says, ‘ I decide that you, 
Captain Crowfoot, shall pay Dr. McGrath two hundred 
golden guineas before you leave this court.’ The cap- 
tain, with many wry faces, began to make all sorts of 
excuses, but the governor wouldn’t listen to one of them, 
and Captain Crowfoot had to get a merchant to hand 
him out two bags of guineas. ‘ Count them, captain, 
count them,’ says the governor; and as the skipper 
counted them out on the table, the doctor stood by with 
another bag, and as he swept them in with his hand, he 
kept singing out ‘ Coopity, coopity, coopity.’ Really it 
was pleasant to hear the doctor go on with his ‘ Coopity, 
coopity, coopity.’ Everybody in the court laughed, and, 
I believe you, the skipper was glad enough to get away 
when he had counted out all his money, and there was 
a regular cheer of ‘ Coopity, coopity, coopity,’ as he 
rushed out of the court.” I had not seen M‘Allister 
laugh since we had lost the prize. He now gave way 
to a hearty peal, exclaiming, “ Ha ! ha ! ha ! I’ll make 
the French lieutenant sing out ‘ Coopity, coopity, coopity,’ 
before the world is many years older.” 

I need not describe all that occurred in the boat. 
W'e made fair way while the wind continued fair, and 
the weather favorable, but Jamaica still seemed a long 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 281 

•iistance off. It is a large island, however, so that 
there was not much chance of our missing it. Four 
days had passed since we left the Audacieuse, when 
about midnight the wind suddenly shifted to the north- 
ward, and what was worse, it came on to blow very hard. 
We closely reefed our sail, and hove to, but the seas 
constantly broke over us, and we were obliged to keep 
two hands baling, or we should have been swamped. 
It was bad enough as it was, but it might come on worse, 
and then, would the boat swim ? That was a question. 
That was a dreary night. The rain came down too — 
as it knows well how to do in the tropics. We had no 
want of water, but we unwisely neglected to fill our 
casks. Expecting to make a quick run, we had not 
stinted ourselves in the use of water. Of course the 
boat all this time was drifting to leeward, and we 
were losing all the distance we had made good during 
the last day or so; if the gale continued, we should 
lose still more. At last daylight came, but the wind 
blew as hard as ever — half a gale at all events. Two 
whole days more it blew. At last it ceased, but it left 
us a hundred miles nearly further from our destination 
than when it commenced. This was bad enough, but 
though there was little of it remaining, that little was 
in our teeth. We, however, hauled our wind, and 
tried to beat up. When the sea went down we got the 
oars out, and lowering the sails, pulled head to wind. 
It was greatly trying to the men, to know that after 
toiling away for hours, the entire distance gained might 
be lost in a quarter of the time. Still, as British sea- 
men always do, they persevered. McAllister and I 


282 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

took our turn at the oars with the rest. For several 
days we labored thus. The prospect of a quick run 
to Jamaica was over. Our provisions were running 
short — our water was almost expended. Hunger and 
thirst began to stare us in the face — tilings apt not 
only to stare people out of countenance, but out of their 
good looks. We at once went on short allowance, 
which grew shorter and shorter. As we gazed on each 
other’s faces, we saw how haggard our shipmates had 
become, each person scarcely aware of his own ema- 
ciated appearance. At last we had not a drop of water 
remaining. Jamaica might still be a week’s sail off, 
under favorable circumstances. The thirst we now en- 
dured was far worse than hunger, in that climate, with 
a hot sun burning down on our heads all day. Our 
throats got hotter and more parched every hour ; we 
drew in our belts, and that silenced the cravings of 
hunger for a time, and we had some few bits of biscuit, 
and ham, and chocolate, but nothing we could do could 
allay our thirst. We dipped our faces in water, and 
kept applying our wet handkerchiefs to our mouths 
and eyes. We got most relief from breathing through 
our wet handkerchiefs ; but it was only transient ; the 
fever within burned as fiercely as ever. We had to 
work at the oars, when we could not keep our hand- 
kerchiefs wet. McAllister, like a brave fellow as he 
was, aroused himself, and endeavored to encourage us 
to persevere. He especially warned the men against 
drinking salt-water, telling them that it would be down- 
right suicide, and that they might as well jump over- 
board and be drowned at once. We were certainly 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 28S 

making way, and every hour lessening our distance tc 
Jamaica. Again our hopes were raised. We had a 
few scraps of food to support life for two days more : 
but it was the water we wanted. I felt that I could not 
hold out another twenty-four hours. I must have water 
or die. The wind, however, came fair; we made sail,, 
and ran merrily over the water — at least the boat 
did. Our feelings were heavy enough. Still I must say 
that we did our best to keep up each other’s courage. 
Again the wind fell. It shifted. We might be driven 
back, and lose all the way we had gained. Dark clouds 
gathered — the feeling of the air changed. “Get the 
sail spread out flat, and the buckets, and cask, and 
mugs ready, boys,” cried McAllister. “ Open your 
mouths.” 

Scarcely had he spoken, when down came the rain. 
Oh, how delicious, were., the cool streams which flow^ed 
do^vn our parched throats, and washed the salt from our 
faces. As the sail caught it, we let it run off into the 
receptacles we had prepared. Mugfull after mugfull 
we drained. We filled our cask and buckets. The rain 
ceased just as we had done so, and then it fell a dead 
calm. But vre all felt refreshed and invigorated. New 
life seemed put into us, and the dry morsels of biscuit 
and ham which we before could not swallow, were eaten 
with a relish. This deliverance from immediate death 
gave us hope ; but still we might have again to encoun- 
ter all the difficulties we had before gone through, b(i 
fore reaching land. Could we possibly survive them ? 
I had often read of similar adventures and sufferings, 
and had been so much interested and amused, that I 


284 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIRMAN. 

had felt considerably obliged to those who had gone 
through them, and really felt that I should like to have 
been with them ; but I found the reality very different 
indeed. The terrible reality was presented to me with 
the gilding off — the romance vanished. My great wish 
was to escape from my present position. I have no 
doubt that all my companions felt with me. 

The oai-s were again got out, and slowly we pulled to 
the northward. It was soon evident, however, that our 
strength was totally unequal to the task. One after 
the other the oars dropped from the men’s feeble grasp. 
It was terrible to see strong men thus reduced to weak- 
ness. The calm continued. Even I began to despair. 
A dizziness came over me. I was nearly sinking to 
the bottom of the boat, but I resisted the impulse by a 
strong effort. “ I’ll not give in while life and sense re- 
main.” I fancied that I felt a puff of air on my cheek. 
I wetted my finger and held it up. There was no doubt 
about it. A breeze was coming from the southward. I 
stood up as well as I was able, and looked astern for 
the expected blue line in the horizon. My heart leaped 
within me when my eye fell on the white sails of a 
vessel coming fast up with us. I shouted out the joyous 
news. My companions lifted up their heads, some 
scarcely understanding what I said. M‘AlIister, who 
had been asleep, started up, and, with his hand over his 
eyes, gazed anxiously at the stranger. Bambrick, with 
a strength which surprised me, leaped upon the thwart, 
holding on by the mast, and after looking for some time, 
he exclaimed, “ She’s the Espoir, as sure as my name is 
Ned Bambrick.” 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 285 

“ The Espoir went down in the hurricane, ai d this 
craft is only some phantom come to delude and mock 
us,” muttered McAllister, gloomily. 

“ Nonsense ! you don’t believe in such stuff,” I ex- 
claimed. “ If yonder craft is the Espoir, it’s plain the 
Espoir did not go down in the hurricane; and if the 
Espoir did go down in the hurricane, it is equally plain 
that the vessel in sight is not she.” 

“No, no, yonder craft is but a mocking phantom. 
I’m destined never to see my bonnie home and fair 
Scotland again,” he answered, in a low voice, speaking 
moro to himself than to me. 

There was no use then contradicting him. Half an 
hour or less would, I hoped, show that the stranger 
astern was a real palpable vessel, with human beings on 
board, who would relieve our distress, and no phantom 
craft. Poor M‘Allister sank down in the stern-sheets 
again through weakness, but continued to gaze at the 
stranger, as we all did, with our eyeballs almost start- 
ing, in our eagerness, from their sockets. 

The stranger proved to be a schooner ; and, as she 
approached, she appeared to be more and more like the 
Espoir. There was at length no doubt about it, but 
M‘Allister still shook his head, muttering, “A phantom — 
a phantom — but very like the craft — there’s na doubt 
about that.” I do not know what he might have thought 
when the schooner shortened sail, and glided up slowiy 
alongside our boat. There were Perigal, and Gray, and 
Macquoid, and Bobus, and others, looking at us over the 
bulwarks. They must have known us by our uniforms 
to be English, but they had no idea we were their own 


286 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

shipmates. I guessed this by hearing Macquoid say to 
Bobus, — 

“ Who can they be ? Some poor fellows whose vessel 
must have gone down in the hurricane.” 

“ Hand them up carefully, now,” said Perigal to the 
men who descended into the boat. 

We were all soon lifted on deck, for we were utterly 
unable to help ourselves, and we had positively to say 
who we were before w^e were recognized. 

The foremost to rush forward and welcome me was 
Toby Bluff ; and, forgetful of all the proprieties of the 
quarter-deck, he was very nearly throwing his arms 
round me and giving me a hearty hug, so overcome was 
he with joy at having the young squire restored to him. 

“ Oh ! Measter Merry, they will be main glad at the 
Hall when they learns that after all you didn’t go down 
in that mighty terrible hurricane we had t’other day,” 
he exclaimed. “ I’d never have gone back to see them 
— that I wouldn’t — I could never have faced them 
without the young measter ! ” 

Warm and sincere, indeed, were the congratulations 
of all our friends. Macquoid at once took charge of us — 
ordered us all into our hammocks, and would not allow 
us to swallow more than the most moderate quantity of 
food, nor to listen nor talk. Owing to his judicious 
management, we all speedily got round, with the excep- 
tion of McAllister, who had been the last to give in. 
His spirit and moral courage had supported him, till at 
length his physical powers yielded to his sufferings. 

We carried on the breeze till we sighted Jamaica, 
Of course Perigal was very much vexed at hearing of 


MARSIADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN 287 


the loss of the prize, but he did not blame M‘Allister 
though, as he observed, it would have been wiser had 
we not placed so much confidence in our agreeable and 
plausible prisoner. The Espoir had lost sight of us in 
the hurricane from the first, and apprehensions fw our 
safety had till now been entertained, and so our friends 
looked upon us as happily restored to them from the 
dead, and were not inclined to find undue fault with us. 
We found that they had been placed in even greater 
danger than we had, and had suffered more damage, but 
finally they were enabled to take shelter under an island 
more to the south than the one we gained. Here they 
remained for some time to refit, and thus were brought 
to our rescue just in time to preserve us from destruc- 
tion. We were all tolerably recovered and presentable 
by the time we entered Port Royal harbor. Here we 
found the frigate almost ready for sea, and, to our satis- 
fation, Spellman with our first prize had arrived safely. 
Among those who most cordially welcomed me was Mr. 
Johnson, the boatswain. 

“We felt that hurricane even here, Mr. Merry ; and 
thinking you might feel it too, I was any thing but 
happy about you,” he observed, shaking me by the 
hand. “ I was once out in just such another — only it blew 
a precious deal harder. Some of our hands fiad their 
pigtails carried away, and two or three fellows who kept 
their mouths open had their teeth blown down their 
throats. It was the gale when the Thunderer, and so 
many other of His Majesty’s ships went down. You’ve 
heard of it, I dare say ? ” 

T told him that I had read about it in a naval history 


288 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


we had on board, but that the account of the pigtails and 
teeth was not given. 

“No, I dare say not ; historians seldom enter as they 
ought into particulars,” he answered, laughing. 

Gray received an equally friendly welcome from Mr. 
Johnson, with whom lie was as great a favorite as I was. 
He made us give him an account of all our adventures, 
and amused himself with quizzing me, without ceasing, 
at having been so tricked by the French lieutenant. I 
believed, and do to this day, that Preville was civil and 
light-hearted from nature, and that it was only when he 
found us off our guard that the idea of seizing the vessel 
occurred to him. 

M‘Allister did not get off as easily as I did. Wher- 
ever he went he was quizzed for having been tricked 
by the Frenchman and losing his prize. He unfortu- 
nately could not stand quizzing, and taking what was 
said too seriously, he became at times quite sulky and 
morose. 

As the Doris had no hands to spare, the tender was 
laid up, and once more the frigate put to sea in search 
of the enemies of our country. We knew that several 
of their frigates were at sea, and w'e hoped to fall in 
with one of them. If we missed them, we were not 
likely to object to pick up a few rich merchantmen. 

Soon after I rejoined, I was invited to the gun-room 
to give an account of my adventures on board the 
Audacieuse. Thinking he was going to be quizzed, 
McAllister would not say a word on the subject. I was 
not so particular, and amused the officers very much 
with an account of the way in which the polite lieuten- 


MATIMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 289 


ant used to di’ess our dinners for us, and used to sing 
and play for our amusement. Mr. Fitzgerald seemed 
highly entertained. 

“ He must.be a broth of a boy, indeed ! If we ever 
catch him, we’ll make him dress our dinners,” he ex- 
claimed, laughing. 

He was himself stranger than ever, and, with his 
curious performances, I used to wonder how he managed 
not to get into more scrapes than he did. Our captain 
was much of the same opinion, for I heard him remark 
that he really was glad to get to sea, for fear Mr. Fitz- 
gerald should do something to bring himself into diffi- 
culty on shore. The words were reported to Mr. Fitz- 
gerald, who remarked, —7 

“ Och ! where there’s a will there’s a way. We’ll 
see what we can do, even out here on the big salt 
sea ! ” 

Not long after this, during a light breeze, we chased 
a vessel to the southward. We came up with her hand 
over hand. When, however, we were five miles off, it 
fell a dead calm. What she was we could not ascertain, 
though she did not look like an armed vessel. It was 
necessary to overhaul her, so Mr. Fitzgerald volunteered 
to take the gig and six hands to board her, and Gray 
and I got leave to accompany him. We had a hot pull, 
the sun coming down full on our heads ; and as we had 
come away without any water, the men were anxious to 
get on board the stranger, that they might quench their 
thirst. She was rigged as a barque, and she proved as 
we guessed ; she was a Yankee, and a neutral. Thougn 
undoubtedly laden with stores for our enemies we could 
25 


290 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIP^IAN. 


not touch her. Her skipper was very civil, and invited 
ns into the cabin, wliere a fine display of decanters and 
tumblers gave promise of good cheer, in which we were 
not disappointed. Mr. Fitzgerald was soon deep in the 
mysteries of cocktail and similar mixtures. He seemed 
to enjoy them amazingly, for he quaffed tumbler after 
tumbler, till I began to fear that he was getting rather 
too deep into the subject. Gray and I’ took our share, 
but we both of us were from inclination very temperate. 
Independent of other considerations, I have always held 
that a splitting headache, and the risk of getting into 
trouble, was a high price to pay for the pleasure of 
tickling one’s palate, or artificially raising one’s spirits 
for a short time. The men were hospitably entertained 
forward, one or two of them finding old messmates ; in- 
deed American vessels at that period were manned prin- 
cipally with English seamen. We remained on board 
altogether much longer than we ought to have done, but 
at last Mr. Fitzgerald, looking^at his- watch, jumped up, 
exclaiming that he must be off. We thanked the skip- 
per for his civility, and, not without difficulty, getting 
the men into the boat, away we pulled toward the 
frigate. The men were all high in praise of the Yan- 
kees, and I have no doubt that they were all put up to 
run from the ship at the first American port at vvhicii 
they might touch. 

The calm still continued, and from the lazy way in 
which the men pulled, it was clear that they were in no 
hurry to get on board. Gray and I, of course, were 
not ; indeed Mr. Fitzgerald, who was in great spirits, 
kept us highly amused by his stories, so full of racy 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 291 

humor. Our movements were, however, considerably 
expedited by the report of a gun from the frigate, as a 
signal for us immediately to return. The men now 
bent to their oars, and gave way in earnest. We had 
not pulled far, however, when another puff of smoke 
was seen to burst forth from the frigate’s side, followed 
by the report of the gun, which came booming over the 
smooth ocean. 

Och ! the skipper’s in a mighty hurry,” muttered 
the lieutenant to himself. “ We are making all the 
haste flesh and blood is capable of, with the sun broiling 
up our marrow at this rate.” ^ 

“ Give way, lads, give way,” he shouted aloud. “ The 
captain is in a hurry, for there’s something in the wind, 
depend on that.” 

We were, I suspect, so completely in a position under 
the sun, as observed from the frigate, that we could not 
be seen. Presently the report of another gun struck 
our ears. On this Mr. Fitzgerald seemed to lose all 
patience. 

“ Hand me an oar and a boat-hook,” he exclaimed, 
“ and some rope-yarn.” 

What was our surprise to see him strip off his trow- 
sers, and make the waistband fast to the boat-hook, 
which he secured for a yard across the blade of an oar 
stepped upright as a mast. Having secured some pieces 
of rope-yarn to the legs of his unmentionables, he stood 
up, and began blowing away with might and main into 
the upper portions, stopping every now and then to gain 
breath, and to shout, “ Give way, lads, with a will — 
give way like troopers — give way, ye hardy sons of 


/ 


292 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

Neptune, or of sea-cooks, if you prefer the appellation. 
Give way like Tritons. We are doing all that men can 
do. Who dare say we can do more ? But we must 
not stop to talk.” Then once more filling out his 
cheeks, he began to blow and puff* with might and main 
as before. 

Gray and I, though not a little shocked, were con- 
vulsed with laughter ; so of course were the men, whose 
countenances, as they bent to their oars, were wreathed 
in the broadest of broad grins, while shouts of scarce 
suppressed laughter burst ever and anon from their 
throats. 

Faith, the captain can’t say it’s my fault if we don’t 
get aboard in time. I’ve done all that any officer in 
His Majesty’s service could do to expedite matters, at 
all events,” he observed at length, stopping to draw 
breath. 

“ And more than most officers would dream of doing, 
Mr. Fitzgerald,” I answered, quietly, really fearing that 
he had gone mad. 

Och, yes, I was always celebrated for my zeal,” he 
answered. “ There’s nothing like zeal, Mr. Merry. 
When my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty think 
fit to promote one of their own nephews over the heads 
of any lot of us poor fellows who don’t happen to have 
any interest in high quarters, it’s always on account of 
zeal — they are such very zealous and promising young 
men. They don’t say what they promise. I could 
never learn that. I once posed the First Lord by 
simply asking the question. I went up just to ask for 
my promotion —for there’s nothing like asking, yo* 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 293 

know, youngsters. The first Lord received me with 
wonderful civility. He took me for another Fitzgerald, 
and I was fool enough to tell him which I really was, 
or I believe he would have handed me out my commis- 
sion and appointment to a fine brig I had in my eye, 
there and then. I saw by his change of countenance 
that I had made a mistake, and, as I was in for it, I de- 
termined not to be abashed. With the blandest of 
smiles he remarked, ‘ Undoubtedly, Mr. Fitzgerald, I 
will keep you in sight, but I have on my list so many 
zealous and promising young officers, that I fear you 
will have some time to wait.’ His cold eye told me 
he’d do nothing for me, so says I, ‘ My Lord, I should 
just like to have an example of this zeal, that I may 
learn to imitate it ; but as to promises, faith, my Lord, I 
should like to see any man who can beat me at making 
them.’ I put on a face as I spoke, and he couldn’t 
help laughing, but he told me, when I made my bow, 
that I might be sure he wouldn’t forget me. Whether 
he has or has not, I can’t say ; but here am I, a descend- 
ant of Brian Boroo, and I don’t know how many kings 
and queens of ould Ireland besides, nothing but a hum- 
ble lieutenant, standing with my breeches off*, and en- 
deavoring to fill this epitome of a boat’s sail with all the 
wind in my mortal body. I must stop talking, though, 
youngsters ; it’s setting you a bad example,” and he 
began to puff* away again. 

We were now drawing so near the frigate that I felt 
sure, if any glasses were turned toward us, his extraordi- 
nary condition could be seen. I was anxious to prevent 
his getting into disgrace, so I asked, — 

25 * 


294 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. . 

“ Wouldn’t it be better, sir, if you were to put on 
your breeches, and let the men pull up alongside in 
proper style ? ” 

“ What, youngster, and lose this magnificent oppor- 
tunity of exhibiting my zeal?” he exclaimed, indig- 
nantly. “ I shall request the captain to write an official 
letter to the Admiralty, that a proper record may be 
made of it.” 

“ But Gray and I will bear witness to the truth of 
your statement, if you think fit, to-morrow, to make a 
report of the proceeding,” I observed. “ You must 
allow, sir, that officers do not generally come alongside 
a ship with their breeches off, tliough of course it is very 
laudable to make use of them as a boat’s sail, or in any 
other way, for the good of the service ; but, if you 
have any enemies, a wrong construction may be put on 
the matter.” 

He did not appear to be listening to what I was say- 
ing, but continued puffing out his cheeks and blowing as 
before. As I was steering, I told Gray to look through 
the telescope we had with us at the ship. 

“ I see several glasses turned this way,” he answered, 
“ and there are numbers of mtm in the rigging.” 

I made no remark, but Mr. Fitzgerald soon after- 
wards lowered the oar, and, without saying any thing, 
quietly put on his breeches. We were soon alongside : 
the boat was hoisted in, and a light breeze having 
sprung up, which had long be(m seen coming, all sail 
was made in chase of a vessel to the eastward. 

Mr. Fitzgerald then made his report. 

“ You seemed to be carrying some sail,” observed the 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMA^^. 295 


captain. You had but little wind, though, to make it 
of use.” 

“ There was all the wind I could make,” blurted out 
the lieutenant, who had now got sober, and was as 
much ashamed of himself as it was in his nature to be 
“ However, Captain Collyer, you know my zeal for the 
service, and there isn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for its 
good.” 

“ Even to making use of your breeches as a sail, and 
compelling your mouth to do duty as ^olus,” said the 
captain, gravely. “ However, Mr. Fitzgerald, though I 
never like making mountains of molehills, don’t let your 
zeal, or your love of a joke, carry you so far again. Disci- 
pline would quickly vanish if the officers were to forget 
their dignity, as you did just now. No officer should 
ever appear in public without his breeches.” 

“ I’ll make a note of that. Captain Collyer, and take 
care that it never again occurs,” answered Mr. Fitz- 
gerald, with inimitable gravity, but with an expression 
in his comical features which made our good-natured 
skipper almost burst into a fit of laughter. 

Two or three nights after this, while it was Mr. Fitz- 
gerald’s watch, in which I was placed, it being very 
dark, the frigate, without any warning, was struck by a 
heavy squall, which threw her in an instant on her 
beam ends. I thought that she was going down. There 
was a loud crash — the fore-topmast had gone over the 
side. Lightning flashed from the sky ; the thunder 
roared. A loud clap was heard overhead — the main- 
topsail had split, and, rent in fragments, was carried out 
of the bolt-ropes, lashing itself in fui-y round the yard. 


296 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

All s(3eraed confusion. Everybody on the first crash 
had rushed on deck, mostly in very scanty costume. 
The captain had slipped on his coat, which, with hi.s 
shirt and slippers, formed his costume. There he stood, 
his shirt tails fluttering in the breeze, while with his 
deep-toned voice he was bringing order out of seeming 
chaos. When the main-topsail went the frigate righted. 
We had work enough to do to clear the wreck of the 
fore-topmast and all its hamper, and it was broad day- 
light before the captain could leave the deck. Wlien 
the ship was put a little to rights, and those officers who 
had appeared in limited costume had gone below to don 
the usual amount of dress, Mr. Fitzgerald walked up 
to Mr. Bryan, the first lieutenant, and said, — 

“ I wish, Biyan, that you would ascertain what are 
and what are not the regulations of this ship. Two 
days ago the captain told me that it was against his 
express orders that any officers should appear on the 
quarter-deck without their breeches, and now he ap- 
pears himself without his, and so do Haisleden and the 
master, and some other fellows besides.” 

“ There are some occasions when it does not do to 
stick at trifles,” answered Mr. Bryan, who found it very 
necessary to humor his eccentric brother officer. 

“Well, at all events, the captain cannot find fault 
with me after that,” said the second lieutenant; “I am 
always saying the same — I never stick at trifles.” 

“No, indeed you do not; but sometimes it is just as 
well to look at them, and ascertain if they are trifles,” 
observed Mr. Bryan. 

It was found 4hat the frigate had received so much 


mlabmaduke merry, the midshipman. 297 

damage that it was necessary to put back to Poll 
Royal. It was a matter of very little consequence to 
us midshipmen. We were chiefly interested because we 
knew that we should get a supply of fresh meat and 
vegetables, which we preferred to the salt pork and 
weevilly biscuits served out to the navy in those days, 
and for very many days later; indeed, where is the 
naval officer, under the rank of a commander, or I 
may say a lieutenant, who does not tap every bit of bis- 
cuit on the table before he puts it into his mouth ? He 
taps mechanically now, but he learned the habit when 
it was necessary to knock out the weevils. 

We soon had the ship as much to rights as circum- 
stances would allow. In the evening Gray and I went 
below, and found the boatswain seated on a stool in his 
cabin, with his legs stretched out at full length before 
him, resting after the fatigues of the day. 

“Ah, young gentlemen, I know what you’ve come 
for,” he exclaimed when he saw us. “ You’re curious 
to hear some more of my yarns. It’s natural, and I’ll 
not baulk you. There’s one thing you may depend on, 
it will be a long time before I shall spin them all out. 
You needn’t tell me where I left off. I was telling you 
about my pet shark and the dreadful event connected 
with it. It’s a warning to people not to have pet sharks, 
as you’ll say when you hear more. But come in, young 
gentlemen, and make yourselves comfortable. Ah, Mr. 
Gogles, I’m glad to see you here; you’ve not heard 
any of my veracious narrative, but now you shall hear 
something to astonish you, I guess.’" 

Gogles was a young midshipman, the son of a planter 


298 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

at Jamaica, who had joined us when we were last there. 
Ilis countenance exhibited a large capacity for imbibing 
the wonderful and improbable, a fact which had not es- 
caped Mr. Johnson’s acute observation. 

By the time Toby Bluff had brought the boatswain 
his usual evening glass of grog, and he had cleared his 
throat, and, as he remarked, brought up his thoughts 
from the storelockers of memory, a large audience was 
collected in and outside the cabin. 

“ Listen, then, and let no one doubt me,” continued 
Mr. Johnson. “I told you the Lady Stiggins was 
bound round Cape Horn. We were,running down the 
coast of America, when somewhere to the southward of 
the latitude of Demai'ara it came on to blow very hard 
from the north and west. The clouds came rushing 
along the sky like a mass of people all hurrying to see 
the king open parliament, or a clown throw a somer- 
sault at a fair, or any thing of that sort, while the wind 
howled and screeched in the rigging as I have heard 
wild beasts in the woods in Africa, and the sea got up 
and tumbled and rolled as if the waves were dancing 
for their very lives. You need not believe it, but the 
foam flew from them so thick that it actually lifted the 
ship at times out of the water. We had sent down our 
top-gallant yards, and had just furled the courses, and 
were in the act of lowering our main-topsail to reef it 
close, when a squall, more heavy than before, came 
right down upon us. I was at the helm at the time, 
and heard it roaring up astern. The main-topsail yard 
bad just reached the cap, and the fore-topsail was the 
only sail showing to the breeze. The blast struck us ; 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 290 

a clap, as if of thunder, was heard, and away flew our 
fore-topsail clean out of the bolt-ropes, and clear of 
every thing. Off it flew, right away to leeward, down 
upon the breeze. I kept my eye on it, and observed 
that instead of sinking, from the strength and buoyant 
power of the wind, it retained precisely the same eleva- 
tion above the sea that it had done when spread to the 
yard. I did not mention the circumstance to any one, 
but took care not to lose siglit of the sail. This was a 
hint to us not to set more canvas, so the main-topsail 
was furled, and away 'we scudded, under bare poles, 
right in the wake of the fore-topsail. Instead of abat- 
ing, the wind increased till it blew a perfect hurricane. 
I, however, kept at the helm, and explaining to the cap- 
tain the occurrence I had observed, begged to be allowed 
to remain there. At first he would scarcely believe me, 
and declared that it was a white cloud ahead of us, but 
I was so positive, that at last he let me have my way. 
AYell, we steered straight on all that day, and when 
night approached I took the bearings of the sail that 
we might follow it as before. The wind did not vary, 
and in the morning there it was, exactly in its former 
position, only 1 think we had gained a little on it. On, 
on we ran, tearing rather over than through the foaming 
ocean, but still we did not come up with the sail. At 
last I was obliged, from very weariness, to let a careful 
hand relieve me at the helm, and, desiring to be called 
if we neared the sail, I turned in and went to sleep. 
Now you will want to know, young gentlemen, why I 
was so anxious to come up with the sail ? The fact is 
that I had takan a notion into my head, which I will tell 


300 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

you presently. Well, I was so weary that I slept foi 
five-and-twenty hours without turning, and I could 
scarcely believe that I had been in my hammock more 
than an hour, for when I came on deck every thing was 
exactly as I had left it. Feeling much refreshed, and 
ftaving swallowed two dozen of biscuits, a leg of pork, 
and a gallon of rum and water, I took the helm, re- 
solved to carry out my intentions. It wasn’t, however, 
till the next morning, when the sun broke out from be- 
hind the clouds, that it shone directly on our fore-topsail, 
now not the eighth of a mile ahead of us. For some 
reason or other, which I have never been able satisfac- 
torily to explain, we were coming rapidly up with it. I 
now saw that the moment was approaching for carrying 
my plan into execution. Accordingly I sent the people 
Dn to the fore-yard, and also on the fore-topsail yard, 
which was hoisted right up, some with palm-needles and 
others with earings and lashings. It was a moment of 
intense interest. I kept the brig’s head directly for the 
sail. We approached it rapidly ; it was over the bow- 
sprit end. My eye did not fail me, and, to my inex 
pressible satisfaction, we shot directly up to the sail. 
The men on the yards instantly secured it, and in five 
minutes it was again spread aloft as if it had never left 
Its place. There, young gentlemen, if you ever see 
any thing done like that, you may open your eyes with 
astonishment. I gained some credit for my performance, 
though there are people, I own, who do not believe in 
the fact, which is not surprising, as it isn’t every day in 
the week that a ship recovers a topsail which has been 
blown away in a gale of wind.” 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPaiAN. 801 

There was a considerable amount of cachinnations 
along the deck outside, while a gruff voice grunted out, 
“ Well, bo’sun, that is a jolly crammer ; ” at which Mr. 
Johnson looked highly indignant, and we were afraid 
that he would not continue his narrative ; but a glance 
at Gogles’s deliciously credulous and yet astonished 
countenance, as he sat with his eyes and mouth wide 
open, staring with all his might, seemed fully to pacify 
him. I never met a man who enjoyed his own jokes, 
though certainly they were of the broadest kind, more 
thoroughly than did Mr. Johnson. 


36 


S02 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAW. 


CHAPTER XIII. 

On the evening of which I was speaking in my last 
chapter, Mr. Johnson was evidently in the vein for 
narrating his veracious history. I saw this by the 
twinkle of his eye, by the peculiar curls round his 
mouth — which poets speak of when describing Euphro- 
syne, or any charming young lady of mortal mould, 
as "wreathed smiles,” but which, in the boatswain’s 
case, could not possibly be so called — by the gusto 
with which he smacked his lips, after each sip of grog, 
and the quiet cachinnations in which he indulged, that 
there was no fear of his breaking off for some time, 
unless compelled by his duties to do so. I was right. 
After stretching out his legs, folding his arms, and bend- 
ing down his head, as if to meditate .for a few minutes, 
he looked up with his usual humorous expression, and 
taking a fresh sip of grog, recommenced : 

" Some of you young gentlemen have been in a gale 
of wind, and a pretty stiff one too, but except the little 
blow we had the other day, you, Mr. Gogles, have no 
practical experience of what a real downright hurri- 
cane is,” he continued. “ Why, I once was in a ship 
where, after we had carried away our masts, we were 
obliged to run under a marlinspike stuck up in the 
bows, but even that was too much for her, and wa were 
obliged to send the carpenter forward with a sledge 


MARMADDKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 308 

hammer to take a reef in it by driving it further into 
the deck. It must blow hard, you’ll allow, when it 
becomes necessary to take a reef in a marlinspike. In 
the same gale, the man at the helm had all his hair 
blown clean off his head ; the cook, as he looked out 
of his caboose, had his teeth driven down his throat, 
and one of the boys, who was sent on deck to see 
how the wind was (for we were obliged to batten down 
and get below), had his eyelids blown so far back, that 
it took all the ship’s company to haul them down again. 
You don’t know what a gale of wind is till you have 
seen it.” 

Some loud shouts of laughter were heard outside 
the berth, but Mr. Johnson, without heeding them, con- 
tinued : 

“ But, by the by, I was describing my voyage round 
the Horn in the Lady Stiggins, and now I am coming 
to the melancholy part of my history. No sooner had 
we recovered our topsail than the gale abated, and 
nothing of moment occurred till we hauled up to the 
westward to round the Horn. For some days we had 
light winds and fine weather, but those who have 
doubled that Cape know well that it blows there pretty 
hard at times, and we soon had to learn this to our 
cost. Soon after noonday it came on to blow, and such » 
sea got up as I had never seen before. That was a sea 
Sometimes we were at the top of one wave, while mj 
pet shark, who had faithfully followed us, would be ir 
the trough below, looking no larger than a minnow in 
a mill-stream, and sometimes when we were at the 
bottom we could see him looking lovingly down upon 


804 MARMADUKE MERRT, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

US, high above our top-gallant-mast head. At last we 
were driven back right in upon the coast of Patagonia, 
and had we not found a harbor in which to take shelter, 
we should have lost the ship and our lives. 

The land of Patagonia is bleak and barren, and, as 
you all know, the few scattered inhabitants make up for 
the scarcity of their numbers by their personal stature, 
for they are, without exception, the tallest people 1 
have ever met. I felt quite a pigmy alongside them. 
They have large rolling eyes, long shaggy hair, and 
thick snub noses ; indeed, they are as ugly a race as I 
ever set eyes on. Perhaps, for certain reasons, I might 
have been prejudiced, but of that you shall judge. 

“We anchored the brig in a snug cove, where she 
lay completely sheltered from the tempest which raged 
without, and we were thus enabled to go ashore to pro- 
cure wood and water, of which we stood much in need. 
For two days we saw no signs of inhabitants, and thus 
we incautiously strolled about without arms in our 
hands to stretch our legs. I was always of an inquisitive 
turn, fond of exploring strange countries ; so one day, 
having parted from my companions, I walked on into 
the interior. I was thinking of turning back, for the 
day was far advanced, when my attention was attracted 
by a column of smoke ascending from among a grove 
of trees in a valley at no great distance from me, and 
being cUrious to ascertain the cause of it, I proceeded 
in that direction. 

“ On reaching a hill which overlooked the spot, I 
perceived several human beings seated round a large 
fire in front of a rude hut, and busily employed in 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN 805 

cutting slices from an ox, which was roasting whole 
before it, and which they transferred to their mouths, 
smacking their lips to signify their high relish for the 
feast. 

“ I was very hungry, and certainly felt an inclination 
fo r a piece of the savory morsels, the odor of which 
ascended to where I stood, but prudence advised me to 
retire, for I could not tell what the disposition of the 
savages might be. For what I knew to the contrary, 
they might spit and roast me as their dessert. 

“ There appeared to be a family group. There was 
an old man and woman, whom I took to be the father 
and mother, three younger females, whom I judged to 
be daughters, and two sons. All of them were dressed 
in skins, and I was enabled to distinguish the females 
by their having petticoats, and their hair braided in long 
plaits, which reached to the ground. Their personal 
appearance was not prepossessing, and their voices were 
so loud that I could hear every word they uttered, 
though of course I could not understand their language. 
I was on the point of retreating, when one of the young 
ladies, turning her head, perceived me watching them, 
and. with a loud cry, rising from her seat, she ran 
toward me. I had not before remarked the height of 
the savages, but as they all stood up, I now perceived 
that she was full ten feet high, and yet the shortest of 
the party. Although not afraid, for fear was a stranger 
to my bosom, I yet did not relish the thoughts of having 
to encounter such formidable-looking personages, and 
therefore set off toward the shore a? fast as my legs 
would carry me, but I soon found, by the shouts astern, 
26 * 


306 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

that the young giantess had made chase, and, turning 
my head over my shoulders, I saw that she was coming 
up hand over hand with me. I was on the top of the 
liill and she was at the bottom, but that made little dif- 
ference to her, for on she bounded, like a kangaroo or a 
tiger, and I felt convinced that on flat ground I should 
have no chance of escape ; I therefore suddenly brought 
up, tacked about, and faced her with my arms expanded, 
to make me look of more considerable size. She was 
coming on full tilt. I did not think she was so near, 
and the consequence was, as she was stooping down, I 
found my arms round her neck, with my feet off the 
ground, while I clung to her in a very affectionate em- 
brace. She uttered some words which I could not 
understand, and, covering my face with kisses, ran back 
with me toward her companions, just as a young lady 
does a little child she has run after, laughing with 
pleasure. 

“ Here I was fairly caught, but I argued from the be- 
havior of the young lady that I was not likely to be 
very severely treated by the rest. When she got back 
to her family with me in her arms, she introduced me 
in form to them, and made me sit down by her side, 
while the rest examined me minutely from head to foot. 
After they had gratified their curiosity, and satisfied 
themselves that I was a human being, she, observing my 
eyes turned toward the roasted ox, cut off a slice and 
handed it to me. The animal was of prodigious size, 
and would beat a London prize ox hollow. The meat 
was of delicious flavor, though rather too fat for my 
taste, but in cold climates such is generally preferred. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 307 

T found, however, that that is not the usual food of these 
people, but is considered a great delicacy, as they 
live for most part of the year on whales and seals 
which they catch with much ingenuity with a rod 
and line. A whale, however, requires, they told 
me, great skill and patience to kill, as it is apt 
to break the tackle. The savages, wdth my slight 
assistance, having picked the bones of the ox al- 
most clean, washed down this repast with huge flagons 
full of a liquor which smacked of a taste remarkably 
like the best schiedam. It was, however, far more po- 
tent, as I found to my cost, for the effect was such that I 
fell fast asleep. In fact, I was dead drunk ; I don’t say 
that I didn’t take a good swig of it, but still it must be 
strong stuff* to capsize me. How long I slept, or what 
happened during that time, Tin sure I don’t know: 
when I awoke the scene was completely changed. I 
found myself at the mouth of a cavern, lying on the 
ground and wrapped up in bears’ skins, with wild 
rugged rocks rising on every side around me. I tried 
to rise, but to my dismay I discovered that my limbs 
were bound, and as I gazed on every side I saw not the 
sign of an outlet by which I might make my escape. 
In my rage I bawled out lustily, when I heard a step 
approaching, which might, by its sound, have been the 
foot of a young elephant. It was, however, that of the 
young lady who had made me prisoner. When she saw 
that I was awake she sat herself down by my side, and 
taking my hand slobbered it over with kisses, and when 
I rated her pretty roundly for what she’d done, she al- 
most drowned me with her tears. They came down io 


308 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


whole buckets full, like a heavy shower in the tropics : 
it wasn’t pleasant, I can assure you. What was the 
matter with the woman I could not tell ; in fact, I’ve 
found very little difference in ’em from one end of the 
world to the other; they are complete mystifications; 
when you wants ’em to love you they won’t, and when 
you don’t want ’em they will. What I now wanted was 
to get my legs and arms loose to be able to run away. 
After making a number of signs to the lady, she com- 
prehended my wishes, and to my great satisfaction cast 
off the thongs of hide with which I found she had 
bound me to prevent me escaping, should I awake 
during her absence. She then asked me my name, 
when she let me understand that hers was Oilyblubbina, 
which, I afterwards learned, means, in the Patagonian 
tongue, softener of the soul. I heard her pronouncing 
my name over and over again to herself, so I repeated 
hers, Oilyblubbina, Oilyblubbina, Oilyblubbina, several 
times, which pleased her mightily. She then produced 
from a basket a few rounds of beef and some loaves a 
yard long, of which she pressed me to partake. I did 
so gratefully, for I was in want of my breakfast. She 
next pulled out a bottle of schiedam, but I remembered 
the effects of what I took the day before, and was cau- 
tious. Having satisfied my hunger, I made signs to her 
that I was anxious to wish her a very good morning, 
and to return to my ship, but not one of my hints would 
she take. I shook her warmly by the hand, told her 
that I was much obliged to her for her hospitality, and 
then walked away, but wherever I went she dodged my 
steps and would not let me out of her sight for a min- 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 309 

ute. I did my best in every way to escape, but it was 
no go; in fact, young gentlemen, I found myself the 
slave of this monster of fat and ugliness, for I am sorry 
to say that I cannot speak in more flattering terms of 
the fair Oilyblubbina. Seeing that for the present it 
was hopeless to attempt to escape, I pretended to be 
j econciled to my lot, and offering my arm in the po- 
litest way possible, walked quietly by her side, though I 
confess, that I had to put my best foot foremost to keep 
up with her. She was evidently pleased with my al- 
tered behavior, and smiled and ogled me most lovingly. 
How her eyes did roll ! 

“ The effect, however, was very different to what she 
intended. I dare say her heart was as tender as that 
of women of more moderate dimensions, but I cannot 
say that I liked those ogles of hers. Well, on we 
walked, talking a great deal all the time, though I don’t 
pretend I understood a word she uttered, nor do I sup- 
pose she did what I said. She told me, however, a very 
long story, which by her actions I judged intimated 
tliat she had lost some one, and that I was to supply his 
place. All I know is that, after weeping a great deal, 
she finished by taking me in her arms and covering me 
with kisses. I had before suspected, from the absence 
of any of that bashful timidity found in a young girl, 
that she was a widow, and such I learned from her 
father was the case. 

“ We were now close to the hut where I had first 
seen the savages, and there her father and two brothers 
appeared before us, while I found the old mother and 
two sisters had been stowed away in the brushwood. 


310 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

watching our proceedings. Instead of appearing angry^ 
!he father took me by the hand, and warmly pressing it, 
placed it in that of his daughter, and then he rubbed 
<nir noses together, which I found was a sign of be- 
ti'othal, and then all the family came and hugged me, 
one after the other. In fact, I found that I was become 
one of the domestic circle, and to supply the place of a 
lost husband to the young wddow. It was by no means 
l)leasant, let me tell you, that hugging and kissing, for 
the oil and fat those people consume give them a very 
unpleasant odor, and it was some time before I could get 
it out of my nostrils. These considerations, with my 
anxiety to proceed on my voyage, determined me not 
to yield tamely to my fate, for, as to having to spend the 
rest of my days in the society of Oilyblubbina, that was 
out of the question. I had, however, no reason to com- 
plain of my treatment by them, for they would not allow 
me to do any work, but brought me the best food, and 
did every thing for me. Yet, notwithstanding all her 
tenderness, the charms of the loving Oilyblubbina could 
not move my flinty heart ; but I was obliged to hide my 
real sentiments, for I had no fancy, unarmed as I was, 
to fight the father and two brothers, not to speak of 
having to contend against the rage of the disappointed 
lady and her female relatives. 

“ Three not over agreeable^days had thus passed, and 
I was beginning to fear lest my shipmates, giving me up 
for lost, might have sailed away without me, though T 
knew that they valued me too much to desert me till all 
hopes were gone. That day the family dinner was 
composed of a large mess of whale’s flesh and blubber 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 811 

boiled in a cauldron, and washed down as usual with 
huge beakers of schiedam ; but .T watched my opportu- 
nity, and each time the cup was passed to me I emptied 
it by my side unperceived by the rest. I all the time 
made them suppose that I was drinking more than usual, 
and appearing to be perfectly drunk, pretended to fall 
off into a sound sleep. When it grew dark the young 
lady, as was her custom, carried me into the cavern, and 
bound my hands and feet to prevent my running away, 
but as she was fastening the thongs I contrived to slip 
my hands out of them. While I thus lay I looked out 
carefully through my half-opened eyelids, and observed 
all the family retiring to their different roosting-places. It 
was an anxious time ; one after the other they dropped 
asleep, and then, to my great satisfaction, commenced a 
chorus of snoring which sounded more like the roaring 
of a hundred bulls than any thing T had ever before 
heard. The moon was fortunately high in the heavens, 
and there was light enough for me to see my way, which 
I had been careful to note well. Crawling therefore 
out of my skins, I put a block of wood where my head 
had been and rolled them again up to make it appear 
that I was still there, and then cautiously crept away in 
the direction of the cove where I had left my ship. As 
soon as I was out of hearing I set off and ran as fast 
as my legs would carry me, up hill and down dale, 
through woods and across moors, without stopping to 
look behind me, for I knew that when a man is run- 
ning away from an angry lady he must put his best foot 
foremost. 

“ I had just reached the top of p hill, whence, to my 


rfl2 MAttMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

great joy, I beheld my ship floating calmly in the bay 
below me, when I heard a loud cry in the rear. 1 
looked round — it was the loving Oilyblubbina. She 
came on at a furious pace, tearing up the young trees as 
she passed, in her eagerness to catch me. I dashed 
down the hill — I flew rather than ran — I rushed 
through rivulets, I jumped down precipices, nothing 
stopped me — I made light of a leap of a hundred feet. 
I have run very fast at times, but I never ran so fast 
before nor since ; she, however, was gaining on me ; 
*n a few minutes more she would be up with me. It 
.vas very awful. A high cliff was before me ; without 
jesitation I threw myself over it ; death was preferable 
to slavery — and such slavery. I reached the shore in 
safety, but, horror of horrors ! she came after me, and 
alighted unhurt on the shore. The ship was at some 
distance, but I plunged into the sea to swim on bdard. 
I now thought myself safe, for I had no idea that she 
could swim, but she could, and after me she came, 
blowing like a grampus. It takes my breath away even 
now to think of it. I struck out boldly ; the water 
bubbled and hissed as I threw it aside. I told you I 
was a good swimmer, but so was she. On she came, 
and every instant I expected to feel my foot in her 
grasp. If a man can have any reason for being afraid, 
I surely then had one. We had swam a mile, and the 
brig was some way off. I hallooed to my shipmates, 
but they did not hear me. Louder and louder grew 
the blowing of the lady as she spluttered the salt-water 
from her mouth ; she was within a few yards- of me, 
and in another minute I should have been captured, 


HARM AD TIKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 813 


when a dark object passed close to me — it was my 
pet shark. There was a loud scream and a gurgling 
noise. A dreadful thought occurred to me — it was 
too true ! I was safe, but the loving Oilyblubbina had 
been swallowed by the monster. She must have been 
a tough morsel, for after his performance he lay some 
time on his back utterly unable to move. A revolution „ 
had taken place in my feelings: I did not wish her 
death, I only wanted to run away from her, and 1 
mourned her untimely fate. I, however, considered 
that my lamentations could not restore her to her 
afflicted family, so, as soon as the shark had recovered, 

I placed myself on his back, and made him convey 
me alongside my ship. It was time for me to be off, 
for, as I was throwing my legs across him, I saw by 
the light of the moon the whole family rushing down 
the hill to plunge into the sea after me, and I doubt 
if he could have swallowed any more of them. 

‘‘ Thus was I delivered from one of Ihe greatest 
dangers it has ever been my lot to encounter. When 
I got on board, my shipmates welcomed me warmly, 
and sincerely congratulated me on my escape. The 
gale had abated, and as old Blowhard had been only 
waiting for my return to put to sea, we instantly made 
sail, and stood out of the harbor with our faithful shark 
in company. I dare say to this day the Patagonian 
chief fully believes that we carried off his daughter ; 
so, in a certain sense, we did, but not exactly in the 
way he supposes. Poor man, it was better that he 
should not. It was very dreadful.” 

Jonathan was silent ; he took a long pull at his tum* 
27 


814 MARMADTJKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAK. 

bier, and gave a deep sigh, which sounded not unlike a 
peal of thunder along the decks. Gogles’ eyes had 
been growing larger and larger, and rounder and 
rounder, and his mouth had been gaping more and 
more. 

“What a dreadful thing!” he exclaimed, drawing his 
breath. “ I wonder you could bring yourself to sit on 
the shark’s back after what he’d done.” 

Mr. Johnson did not answer ; he only sighed. He 
was meditating on the tragic fate of his loving Oily- 
blubbina. 

We again began to be afraid that, overcome by the 
recollections which he had been conjuring up, he might 
not continue his narrative. 

“ That was, indeed, a dreadful way to lose your in- 
tended wife,” observed Gray, wishing to rouse him up. 

Mr. Johnson’s eyes twinkled. 

“ It was — it was,” he answered emphatically. “ Poor 
Oilyblubbina ! I would rather have found a pleasanter 
for her sake, but it was sure. There was little chance 
of her coming to life again. Dreadful ! I believe you, 
it was dreadful. I was not sorry when we lost sight 
of the high land of Patagonia, so full of painful recol- 
lections to me. For two or three days the weather 
was fine, but our ill-luck had not deserted us, for 
another gale sprang up, and drove us back again very 
nearly into the very harbor near which the family of 
Oilyblubbina resided. I never felt so uncomfortable 
in my life lest 1 should fall into their hands, and they 
might insist on my marrying another daughter. To 
dc her justice, my poor lost Oilyblubbina was by far 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 816 


the best looking of the female members of the family. 
However, we managed to keep the sea, and at length 
recovered our lost ground. Once well round the Cape, 
we steered north, putting into several ports, but nothing 
extraordinary happened. Our pet shark followed us, 
and always kept watch round the ship. I invariably 
used to ride on him about the harbors, just as if he had 
been a sea-horse, and astonished the Hons not a little, 

I calculate. In fact, I had some thoughts of having a 
high saddle made to fit his back, so as to keep my 
feet out of the water. In calms he was very useful in 
towing the ship in and out of harbor. By the by, I 
omitted to tell you of an occurrence which took place 
while we were on the eastern coast. One night when 
I had charge of the deck, feeling that there was no 
use keeping the men out of their liainmocks, as they 
had been hard worked lately, and I could do as much 
any day as half the ship’s company, I told them to turn 
in. You’ve all heard, of course, of the Pampeiros of 
South America. They are heavy squalls which come 
off the Pampas of that extraordinary country. For an 
hour or more I had stood at the helm, admiring the 
stars, and thinking of the number of strange things 
which had happened to me, when on a sudden, without 
the slightest warning, I found my teeth almost blown 
down my throat, and, before I could sing out to shorten , 
sail, over went the vessel on her beam ends with such 
force, that even the sea didn’t stop her; but while 1 
hung on to the wheel for dear life, down went her masts 
perpendicularly, and up she came on the other side, and 
to my infinite satisfaction righted herself with a jerk* 


316 MARMADTJKB MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

which sent every thing into its place again. So rapid 
was the movement, that nothing was washed away, nor 
were any of the people awakened. Indeed, they would 
not believe what had happened even when I told them, 
till they found a turn in the clews of their hammocks, 
for which they could not otherwise account. Many of 
my old shipmates in the Lady Stiggins are still alive, 
and will vouch for the truth of my statement.” 

“ Are you certain, bo’sun, that you did not take the 
turns yourself while the people were on deck, and then 
get them all to go to sleep that you might make them 
believe your story ? ” asked some one outside, in a 
feigned voice. 

“ Wouldn’t it be easier, stupid, to invent the story 
from beginning to end, if I wanted to impose on any 
one ? ” asked Mr. Johnson, with pretended indignation. 
“ However, as I have more than once before observed, 
I have an especial objection to be interrupted by cavil- 
lers and doubters ; so I’ll thank you, Mr. Dubersome, 
to keep your notions bottled up in the empty skull which 
holds all the wits you’ve got. Ho ! ho ! ho ! I generally 
contrive to give as much as I get. But I must, I see, 
proceed with my veracious narrative. 

“We at last left the coast to visit some of the islands 
in the South Pacific. The first place we touched at 
was the island of Pomparee. It was then governed 
by a king and queen, who had an only daughter, the 
Princess Chickchick. The ship wanted some repairs, 
and as we hove her down here, I had plenty of time to 
become acquainted with the people. Every thing in 
that island was made of coral. In the first place it was 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 317 

coral itself, then the reefs which surrounded it were 
coral, and the rocks were coral, and the sand was com- 
posed of bits of coral. The palace of the king was 
built of coral, and so were the houses of the people, 
only his was red, which is scarce, and theirs of plebeian 
white. It had a very pretty effect, I can assure you. The 
chairs and tables would, I doubt not, have been made 
of coral, only they did not use them ; in fact, their no- 
tion of furnishing a house is very different to ours. A 
few mats, and baskets, and pipkins, is all they require. 
Their garments are somewhat scanty too, but the wea- 
ther is all the year round so warm that it would be ab- 
surd for them to dress up as we do. The king’s. dress 
on grand occasions was a crown of gay-colored feathers, 
and a sort of Scotch kilt of the same material, with a 
cloak over his shoulder. The queen also wore a petti- 
coat, and so did little Chickchick, but not a rap else, 
nor did they seem to think it was necessary. The 
king’s name was Rumfiz, and her majesty was called 
Pillow. They were an amiable couple, and remarkably 
fond of each other. When I observed that every thing 
in the island was made of coral, I did not mean to say 
that there were no trees, for there were a great many 
very beautiful ones, bread-fruit trees, and cocoa-nuts, 
and palms, and many others. I made the acquaintance 
of his august majesty after I had been on the island a 
few days. I was one evening walking by myself some 
little way inland, when I found myself almost in front 
of the king’s palace. He had been snoozing after eating 
his dinner to get an appetite for supper, when he was 
awoke by hearing his courtiers cry out that a white man 
27 * 


818 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

was come among them. He jumped up, rubbed his 
eyes, and addressed me in the following harangue : 

“ ‘ You Englishman, why you come now ? — come 
by-by, eat supper plenty.’ 

By this I understood that his majesty was inviting 
me to supper, which was the fact. I accordingly lighted 
my pipe, and sat down under a tree to smoke, while the 
king got into his hammock again and went to sleep. 
Presently a number of courtiers came and spread mats 
in the shade near where I was sitting, and others 
brought baskets filled with bread-fruit, and cocoa-nuts, 
and grapes ; and the King Rumfiz got up, and came and 
sat down with Queen Pillow and the Princess Chick- 
chick, and several other lords and ladies. They all 
looked as if they were waiting for something, and pre- 
sently tliey set up a loud shout as a number of slaves 
appeared with large baskets on their heads, dripping 
with water. I watched what was to be done, when I saw 
the king lean back, and a slave pull out a live fish from 
the basket, which he clapped into his majesty’s mouth. 
The fish wriggled his tail about a little, and the king 
rolled his eyes with delight till it slipped down his 
throat, and then he rubbed the region to which it had 
descended, as if it had afforded him the highest satis- 
faction. 

“ The queen’s turn came next, and I thought she 
would have been choked with the size of the fish, which 
went wriggling all alive down her throat. The cour- 
tiers were next allowed to enjoy the same luxury, while 
little Chickchick and the ladies-in-waiting amused them- 
selves by letting handfuls of prawns playfully skip down 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 819 


their throats. After a little time the king made signs 
that he was ready for another fish, which in like manner 
was let down his throat, and in this way he consumed 
two or three dozen live fish (I like to be under the 
mark), and the queen and courtiers nearly the same 
number each. In that country it is the royal preroga- 
tive of the king to eat more than any of his subjects. 
They were all much surprised to find that I could not 
eat the live fish, for as they thought me a superior being 
to any of themselves, they fancied that I could do more 
than they could. I did try to swallow a few prawns, 
but they stuck in my throat, and made me terribly husky 
for all the rest of the evening. I, however, soon learned 
to eat live fish as well as the best of them, and before I 
left the island I could swallow one as large as a tolerable- 
sized salmon ; but then, of course, they had no spikes 
on their backs. I once saw the king swallow a conger ; 
— • I don’t think I could have managed one myself, but 
you never know what you can do till you try. 

“ After supper the maids of honor and the courtiers 
got up to have a dance, and I toed-it and heeled-it with 
the princess to her heart’s content. Didn 1 1 come the 
double-shuffle in fine style ! No man could ever beat me 
ill dancing, and when I had got a princess for my 
partner it was the time to show off*. The king was de- 
lighted, and asked me at once to come and put up at his 
palace, and to bring a few bottles of rum, and some 
pipes and baccy with me. This I did as soon as the 
duties of the ship would allow me. Well, I soon be- 
came great friends with the king and queen, and I used 
to go up to the palace every day and sit and smoke a 


820 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

pipe with his majesty in a cosy way, and frequently the 
queen would come and take a whiff out of my pipe, till 
she learnt to smoke too, and I then taught her to chaw 
baccy. She was very fond of a quid, let me tell ye, 
and we became as friendly as two mice. All the time 
little Chickchick used to sit up in a corner by herself, 
making a mat or a straw hat, or some such sort of thing, 
looking up at me with her beautiful eyes, and listening 
to all I was saying, though, for the matter of that, she 
could not understand much of my lingo. At last I 
caught the dear little thing at it, and I thought she 
would like to learn to smoke also, so I taught her, and 
I was not long in finding out that she had fallen desper- 
ately in love with me. Of course, I could not do less 
than return the compliment, and told her so, which 
pleased her mightily. In fact, the king and queen and I, 
with the princess, had a pleasant life of it, with nothing 
to do and plenty to eat and drink. 

“‘Now,’ said the king one day to me, as we were 
sitting over our pipes and grog, ‘ you won’t go away in 
big ship — you no go — you stay marry Chickchick — 
be my son — moch better. Enemy come, you fight ; 
friend come, you talk.’ 

“ By this I concluded he wanted me to become his 
prime minister — a sort of first-lieutenant kings have to 
do all the work for them. 

“ ‘ I’ll think the matter over, your majesty,’ I an 
swered, ‘ and if I can manage it. I’ll stay.’ 

“ This answer seemed to please him mightily, and 
little Chickchick came up laughing and singing to me 
soon afterwards, and told me she was so glad of that ; 


MARMADUKE .MERRY, THE ^MIDSHIPMAN. 321 

she should like to be niy wife above all things. It was 
a little bit of unsophisticated nature which pleased me 
amazingly. I then arranged with the captain to remain 
there while he went cruising among the other islands, 
and he was then to come back and take me to the South 
Polar Sea, where we were bound on a whaling cruise. , 
The ship sailed away, and so did my pet shark, whom 
I afterwards heard pined and grew thin, and wouldn’t 
even take his food when he found I was not on board. 
It was a mark of affection which touched me sensibly. 

“ I thus became, by ray own intrinsic merits, a prime 
minister and son-in-law to a king. I had not an un- 
pleasant life of it altogether ; the princess was very 
fond of me, and the people were easily governed. The 
secret was to let them do exactly what they liked. I 
used, also, to make them huge promises, which, though 
I never kept, served to amuse them for the time, and I 
always had the knack of wriggling out of a scrape, 
which is the secret of all government. The first thing 
I did was to tell them that I would advise the king to 
abolish all taxes which were made on bread-fruit, and 
when by this means I became very popular as a liberal 
minister, I published an edict, ordaining that every man 
•should send twice as many cocoa-nuts to the imperial 
treasury as before. The people had enjoyed a long 
peace, and had become unwarlike, so when the^' cried 
out that it was useless trouble making spears and 
bows and arrows and in building war canoes, I let them 
have their own way, which made me still more popular. 

I took the precaution, however, of keeping my own 
musket ready in my house in case of accidents, as it 


822 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


was the only fire-arm in the kingdom. There were 
numerous islands in the neighborhood, and on some of 
them King Rumfiz had in his youth inflicted a signal 
chastisement, which they had never forgotten nor for- 
given. 

“ They had, in the mean time, knocked over two or 
three of their own kings, and had established what they 
called a republic. From what I could make out, one 
half of the people were trying to become governors, and 
the other half trying not to be governed. They had for 
some time past been eating each other up, but having 
got tired of that fun, and wanting a change of diet, they 
thought it would be pleasanter to attack some other 
people. I discovered that they had already a large ex- 
pedition on foot, and numerous canoes ready to transport 
them, though it was pretended that these forces were to 
attack anr-ther island to the eastward of them. A spy, 
however, brought me the intelligence of what they were 
about, CO I endeavored to make preparations to give 
them a warm reception ; but the people would not hear 
of it, and F^id it was a great deal too much trouble to 
make bows and arrows, and build canoes to guard 
against a danger which might never arrive. 

“ There were several fellows among them, some of 
whom, I v!;rily believe, had been bribed by the enemy, 
who persuaded them that it was much wiser to make 
mats and hats and cloths to sell to the merchantmen 
than to think of fighting. 

“ Such was the condition of the country, when one 
morning, as I was walking on the sea-shore meditating 
on the affairs of state, I observed a large fleet of canoes 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 823 

puUing toward the island ; I ran back to the palace to 
tell the king, and sent messengers in every direction to 
warn the people. All was now hurry, and confusion, 
and dismay. The first thing they did was to tumble the 
peace-councillors into the sea with lumps of coral round 
their necks, and they then set to work to string their 
bows and to point their arrows and their spears. All 
the generals had plans of their own ; some proposed let- 
ting the enemy land while they defended the king’s 
palace ; some to meet him half way, others to capitulate, 
while I collected a^ many men as I could and marched 
them down to the beach. I had my musket and 
ammunition concealed in a bush for a last effort, should 
the day be agdinst us. The king came out in his 
best dress, and harangued his army to the following 
effect : 

“ ‘ We much fine fellows — much brave — much 
good ; de enemy great blackguard — much coward — 
much bad — much beast ; shoot arrow, kill plenty.’ 

“ On this the army cheered and waved their spears 
and bows. We reached the beach but just in time to 
receive the enemy, who were mightily disappointed, ex- 
pecting to land without any trouble, and to make a fine 
feast of our carcases. On seeing us they set up a ter- 
rific shout, in the hopes of frightening us away, but it 
was no go, and then they began to pepper us with tlieir 
arrows, which came as thick as bail about our ears. 
Under cover of this shower they pulled into the beach 
Our warriors were brave, but they were long unacciis 
tomed to fighting, and many were killed and driven 
back by the enemy. I trembled for my father-in-law’s 


824 MARMADUKE MTERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN, 

throne, when I considered that the time had arrived to 
bring my musket into play. The first fire astonished 
them not a little, but when they found that this patent 
thunder-maker (as they called it) knocked over two or 
three fellows every time it spoke, they thought it was 
high time to turn tail and. be off. As soon as the enemy 
began to retreat, the mob came forward in crowds to 
attack them, shrieking and swearing, and abusing them 
like pickpockets, though they had, while there was any 
danger, kept carefully out of the way. I continued 
firing on the retreating foe as long ^Is they continued in 
sight, for my gun could carry further than any other in 
existence. It was made under my own directions, and 
was a very extraordinary weapon. If it had not been 
for that gun, I believe King Rumfiz would have lost his 
kingdom. He was very grateful to me, as, to do them 
justice, were all his subjects ; and I found that I was 
unanimously elected as the heir to the throne. My 
honors did not make me proud, for I felt that I deserved 
them, and I became, for some time, more popular than 
ever. A neighboring island, however, which had been 
for centuries attached to the dominions of King Rumfiz, 
gave me much trouble, for though many of the inhabi- 
tants were descended from his own people, they insisted 
on making themselves independent (as they called it) and 
having a king of their own. They were great cannibals, 
and used to eat each other up without ceremony, and as 
for hissing, hooting, and swearing, few people could 
match them. The name of the island was Blarney 
Botherum. When I first visited them, I thought, from 
their own account, that they were a nation of heroes 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 8^5 

kept in chains by King Rumfiz for his own especial 
pleasure and amusement, and that if I could make them 
free they would set a bright example to the rest of the 
world of intelligence, civilization, and all the virtues which 
adorn human nature. I soon, however, discovered that 
the people of Blarney Botherum were the greatest hum- 
bugs under the sun. They had got a set of people 
among them whom they called medicine men, who told 
them that there was a big medicine man in a distant 
part of the world, whom they were to obey instead of 
King Rumfiz, and that, provided they told him the 
truth, and gave them cocoa-nuts and bread-fruits, they 
might tell as many lies as they liked to the king, and 
might rob and cheat him as much as they pleased. 
Whenever, therefore, the little medicine men wanted 
cocoa-nuts and bread-fruits, they used to tell the people 
the big one required food, and their whole occupation 
was to throw dust in the eyes of King Rumfiz (as the 
Turks say), so that he might not find out their knavery.^ 


88 


826 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAJT. 


CHAPTER XIV. 

Mr. Johnson leaned back in his seat, when, slowly 
stooping down for his tumbler, he brought it deliberate- 
ly to his mouth, and took a prolonged sip. Then shak- 
ing his head, he observed, “ Politics are awful things to 
meddle with — the very thought of what I endured, 
turns my throat into a dust-hole.” Again he sipped, 
and again he shook his head. “ Young gentlemen,” he 
said solemnly, “ if ever any of you rise to the top of the 
profession, and I hope you may — and should his Majes- 
ty, King George, send for you, and offer to make you a 
Prime Minister, take an old man’s advice, and respect- 
fully decline the honor. Say, that standing at the helm 
of one of his ships, and fighting her as long as there is 
a shot in the locker, is one thing, and standing at the 
helm of State, and being badgered by friends and foes 
alike, is another. You may quote me as an authority. 
Well, I was telling you how I managed when I was 
Prime Minister to King Rumfiz, and of the trouble 
caused me by certain personages in the island of Blar- 
ney Botherum. 

“ I was not long in discovering the tricks of these 
medicine men, and of their friends who lived on a trade 
they called patriotism, but the difficulty was to catch 
them. I at last, however, found a few tripping, and 
having hung them up, the rest were very soon brouglit 
into a state of implicit obedience to my commands. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 327 

“ As soon as I had restored peace to the country, I 
thought that it would be advisable to reform the consti- 
tution. I had some slight difficulty in comprehending 
its principles, especially as I only as yet imperfectly un- 
derstood the language. My notions were, however, so 
opposed by the sages of the country, and so great was 
the commotion created, that it was with no slight satis- 
faction I saw the Lady Stiggins approaching the island 
under full sail, as I was one morning sitting on the 
beach cutting ducks and drakes with oyster shells over 
the calm blue water of the bay. 

“ I have a good strong voice of my own even now, 
but then I could make myself heard three or four miles 
off at least, and sometimes, when I was in tone, much 
further. The only other man I ever met at all equal to 
me was a Frenchman, the master of a privateer ; and 
we once carried on a conversation together, he sitting 
on the shores of Calais, I on the cliffs of Dover. Well, 
I stood up, and hailing the Lady Stiggins, waved my 
hat over my head. My former shipmates heard me, 
though for a long time they could not tell where the 
voice came from. Another old friend, however, was 
more quick of hearing, and sight too. I saw a commo- 
tion in the Avater, as if an arrow Avas passing through 
it, so fast did it draw near. Presently a black fin ap- 
peared, and then there was a tremendous rush, and then 
Avho should pop his head out of the water till he ran 
himself almost high and dry on the beach, but my pet 
shark ? In his delight at seeing me he almost got hold 
of my leg, which, in a fit of joyful forgetfulness, I be- 
lieve he would have bitten off, had I not jumped out of 
the way. 


028 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


“ Well, as I was saying, the shark did not bite off my 
leg ; the delay, would, at all events, have been inconve- 
nient had he done so. I stroked his cheeks, and he 
looked up most lovingly into my face with his piercing 
eyes, and then, after he had floundered back into the 
water, I got on his back and away we went out to sea 
toward my ship. My companions were delighted to see 
me; the wonder was how they got on without me. 
When we dropped our anchor. King Ruiufiz and Queen 
Pillow, with my wife the Princess Chickchick, came off 
in a canoe to the ship, and very much surprised the}’’ 
were to see me on board, not knowing that my pet 
shark was in company. My little wife, indeed, thought 
I was a ghost, and in her fright jumped overboard, when 
she was as near as possible sharing the fate of poor 
Oilyblubbina, and would have done so had I not leaped 
after her and saved her. Not to disappoint my pet, we 
gave him afterwards half a dozen fat hogs, which he in- 
finitely preferred. The captain was so generous with 
his liquor, that he sent my royal father and mother-in- 
law on shore roaring drunk. They were so happy that 
they insisted on having a ball at the palace, for which 
purpose I issued a decree summoning all the principal 
people of the island ; and a jolly night we had of it too, 
the old king toeing it and heeling it away right merrily 
in the centre of a circle of his admiring subjects. Every 
thing must have an end, so had my residence in the 
island. As I had begun to get rather tired of the mo- 
notony of my life on shore, I determined to make a 
voyage for the benefit of my health.” 

“ Did you take your wife with you ? ” asked Goglea. 


MABMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 829 

who had swallowed every word uttered by the boat- 
swain. 

“ My wife? Oh no ; I left her on shore for the ben 
efit of hers. Poor thing, she cried very much when I 
went away ; it was the last time I saw her.” 

‘‘ How was that, Mr. Johnson ? ” inquired Gray, “ you 
seem to have been unfortunate with your wives.” 

“ Yes, indeed, I was,” replied the unhappy widower ; 
“ I have had ten of them too. When I came back, 
I found that the island had been attacked by the sav- 
ages, who had carried off my wife and eaten her. It’s 
a fact. If they had had a reform, and kept me and my 
gun among them, it wouldn’t have happened — of that 
I’m certain. Having taken in a supply of wood, water, 
and provisions, the Lady Stiggins once more made sail 
for the southward.” 

“ I wonder you survived all your misfortunes, Mr. 
Johnson,” observed Spellman, who, next to Gogles and 
Toby Bluff, seemed to place the most perfect belief in 
the boatswain’s veracious narratives, as he was pleased 
to designate his amusing inventions. 

“ Why, do you see, Mr. Spellman, I’m tough — very 
tough ! ” he answered, with a hoarse laugh. “ I doubt 
if even the head cook of the monarch of the cannibal 
islands — King Hoki Poki — could ever make me 
tender. So you see I’ve held out through them all : 
and there’s one thing I may say, trying as they may 
have been, they have never taken away my appetite. 
Now, young gentlemen, you’ve had a good long yarn, 
and my throat feels like a dusthole with talking, so I 
must knock off.” 


28 * 


830 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

“ But you’ll tell us the end of your adventures some 
day, Mr. Johnson ; won’t you now ? ” said Gogles, im- 
ploringly. 

“ I’ll continue them, perhaps, young gentleman,” an- 
swered the boatswain, laughing. “ But let me tell you 
it will take a mighty long time before I ever get to the 
end of them. They’re inexhaustible — something like 
the mint, young gentlemen, where the king has his 
guineas struck which he pays to us seamen for fighting 
for him. We should be in a bad way if his shiners 
were to come to an end ; and one thing I may promise 
you, as long as I’ve got a brain to think and a tongue 
to wag, I shall be able to continue my wonderful and 
veracious history.” 

Gogles and Spellman, and even Gray, looked puzzled. 
I had long suspected that the origin of Mr. Johnson’s 
history was derived from a source considerably removed 
from fact; and from the peculiar way in which he 
screwed up his mouth, and the merry twinkle of his 
one eye — for the other he shut with the comic twist 
of his- nose — I now had not the slightest doubt of the 
matter. I cannot say that his narratives were exactly 
instructive, but they were at all events highly amusing 
to us youngsters. The watch being just then called, 
an interruption was put to his narrative. Toby Bluff, 
and some of the other boys, who had been listening 
outside, were scuttling along the deck, spluttering out 
their laughter, while the young gentlemen whose watch 
it was hurried on deck, and the rest retired to the berth. 
We left Mr. Johnson chuckling complacently at his own 
conceits. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. SSI 

I went to the berth, now magnificently lighted by two 
purser’s dips, which stood on the table, dropping fatness, 
in company with a bread-barge of biscuit, some tum- 
blers, earthenware, and tin mugs, a bottle of rum and 
a can of water, and surrounded by most of the members 
of the mess not on duty. Gogles followed me, and took 
his seat. The can of water and the biscuit was shoved 
over to him. He eyed the black bottle wistfully. 

“ No, no ; that isn’t good stufi* for babies,” said Peri- 
gal, shaking his head ; “ if we had some milk you 
should have it, Gogles.” 

“ I wish we had ; why don’t we keep some cows 
board?” whispered Gogles. 

“ What would you feed them on ? ” asked Gray. 

“ Grass and hay, when we could get them, of course.,” 
answered Gogles, sagaciously. 

“ Not at all,” remarked Bobus. “ Carpenters’ shav- 
ings are the things. On board a ship to which 1 
belonged, we had two goats and a cow to feed our cap- 
tain’s baby, and whenever we ran short of hay or grass, 
what do you think the captain did ? Cut their throats, 
and eat them? No, not he. Why, he was a very 
ingenious man, and so he had some pairs of green 
spectacles made, which he used to clap over their eyes, 
and then when the shavings were chopped up fine, they 
used to eat them greedily, believing they were grass. 
He first gave them all the old straw hats he could col- 
lect, but that was an expensive way of feeding them.” 

“ I should think so, Bobus,” observed M‘Allister, 
who did not like joking himself, and had an especial 
antipathy to Bobus’s jokes or stories, or to Bobus him- 
self. “ May I ask what ship that was in ? ” 


882 MARMADUKK MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAH. 

^ What ship ? 'why, the old Thunderer, to the best of 
my recollection,” answered Bobus, seriously. 

“ Every thing wonderful hapnened on board the old 
Thunderer,” observed M‘Allibier. “ Bobus having 
been left drunk on shore, is the only survivor of her 
crew, and there is no one to contradict him.” 

“I wasn’t drunk; I was sick, and you know that 
perfectly well,” exclaimed Bobus, getting angry. “ I 
won’t have my veracity called in question. I’ve the 
feelings of a gentleman, and my honor to support, as 
well as others.” 

“ But you shouldn’t support it by telling crammers,” 
said M‘Allister, who took a pleasure in irritating poor 
Bobus. 

“ Order ! ” cried Perigal, who was always a peace- 
maker. “ Come, Mac, let Bobus spin his yarns, and do 
you spin yours ; and now just go on with that story 
about the Highlands which you had begun the other 
evening, when the squall struck the ship.” 

McAllister was soon in the midst of some wonderful 
Highland legend, while attempting to listen to which I 
fell fast asleep. 

We were once more at anchor in Port Royal harbor. 
Several other ships of war were there. On one occa- 
sion I had the honor of dining with Captain Collyer, 
when two or three captains and several lieutenants and 
midshipmBn were present. Among the captains was 
rather a fine-looking man, a Captain Staghorn, com- 
manding the Daring firigate. He was an Irishman, and 
though I thought our boatswain could beat any man at 
pulling the long-bow, I must say Captain Staghorn 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 889 

equalled him. He poured forth the most astounding 
stories with wonderful rapidity and self-assurance. I 
observed that all the other officers bowed politely at the 
end of each, no one questioning any of his statements. 
Even Captain Collyer let him run on without differing 
from him in the slightest degree. I took a dislike to 
him from the first from his overbearing manner at times. 
Still he was certainly amusing, and everybody present 
laughed very much at his jokes. He talked incessantly, 
and did not scruple to interrupt anybody speaking. 
Among his stories was an account he gave of his own 
prowess, when a lieutenant in command of a schooner. 
He was sent in search of a piratical craft. He came 
up with her, and running alongside, sprang on board, 
expecting his men to follow. The vessels, he declared, 
separated, but he laid about him with such good will 
that he not only kept the pirates at bay, but drove them 
below before his own schooner again got alongside. Cap- 
tain Collyer, politely bowing, observed that he had often 
heard of his having taken a piratical craft in a very 
gallant way, which, in fact, he had, but not, as he assert- 
ed, alone ; he had a dozen stout hands to back him, 
which makes all the difierence. The name of a cousin 
of mine, Captain Ceaton, was mentioned. I had just 
before received the news from home that he had been ap- 
pointed to the command of a corvette which would very 
probably be sent out to the West Indies. He was only 
a lieutenant when I came to sea, and had not long been 
a commander. I had seen but little of him, but I knew 
him to be a thoroughly brave honest fellow. What, 
therefore, was my surprise and annoyance to hear 


884 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

Captain StagTiom open out roundly on him, and abuse 
him in no measured terms. One of the other captains 
asked why he did so. 

“ Why ? ” exclaimed Captain Staghorn, “ five years 
ago or more he was a lieutenant of a ship I commanded. 
On his being superseded, at length, the lieutenant who 
succeeded him asked him what sort of a person I was, 
and he had the impudence to say that I was a very good 
sort of fellow, but used the long-bow pretty frequently. 
I won’t say how this came to my ears, but I made a vow, 
and I’ll keep it, that I’ll force him to go out with me, 
and I’ll shoot him.” 

The other captains tried to convince Captain Staghorn 
that Ceaton could not have intended to offend him, as he 
was a man who would never offend any one. Captain 
Staghorn muttered within his teeth, “ I will, though.” 
I was very much induced to say, “ But you do draw 
with the long-bow, and Ceaton only spoke the truth.” I 
restrained myself, however, wisely ; for though the other 
captains might be convinced that I only said what was 
the case, they would very much disapprove of a mid- 
shipman expressing himself freely about a post-captain. 
Coffee was soon handed round, arid we midshipmen, 
according to wont, retired. We repaired to the quarter- 
deck, where the master, as he occasionally did in harbor, 
had taken charge of the watch, the. rest of the lieuten- 
ants not dining in the cabin being on shore. He was a 
very worthy man, but we had no great respect for him, 
and we took liberties on which we should not have 
ventured with Mr. Bryan or the third lieutenant, or 
even with Mr. Fitzgerald. For some time the influ' 


MARMADUKB MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 885 

ence of the cabin was on us, and we behaved with 
sufficient dignity. One of the midshipmen of the Daring 
walked the deck with me, and opened out confidentially 
with regard to his captain, whom, however, he held in 
great awe. He told me that he was ve^y brave, and 
had done all sorts of wonderful things ; that he did not 
seem to set value on his own life or on that of any one 
else ; that he was very quarrelsome, and a dead shot ; 
that he had killed three men in duels, and wounded 
half a dozen more ; and that he never forgot or forgave 
what he considered an insult or an injury. My friend 
continued, “ When we dine with him, he tells us the 
most extraordinary stories, and if we do not laugh at 
the right place and pretend to believe them, we are sure 
to get mastheaded, or punished in some other way, be- 
fore many hours are over.” 

“ A very unpleasant character,” I observed, though 
its hideousness did not strike me so forcibly in those 
days as it does now. “ I shouldn’t like to serve with 
him.” 

“ Nor did T at first,” said my friend, “ but I have got 
accustomed to his style ; and some of our fellows have 
taken a leaf out of his book, and boast and quarrel as 
much as he does.” 

I thought to myself of the old saying, “ Like master, 
like men,” and adapted it, Like captain, like midship- 
men.” 

“ I would rather serve under Captain Collyer,” I re- 
marked. “ He does not quarrel with or shoot his com- 
panions, and I do not believe that there is a braver man 
in the service.” 


336 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

Our conversation was interrupted by a chase after 
poor Gogles, whom Spellman and others had started up 
the mizzen rigging, giving him a minute’s start. If they 
caught him he was to receive a cobbing ; if he escaped 
he was to give them one, if he could. Poor Gogles had 
certainly made but a bad bargain. All the rest of the 
youngsters, including the Daring’s midshipman and I, 
soon joined in the chase — not all, however, to catch 
Gogles, but rather to impede his pursuers, and to give 
him a better chance of escape. Although he had not 
an over-allowance of wits, he was very active, and had 
great tenacity of gripe — qualities more valuable to sky- 
larking midshipmen, rope-dancers, and monkeys, than 
brains. 

Up went Gogles very valiantly to the topgallant mast- 
head, and, waiting till Spellman had got close up to him, 
under pretence of being tired, he slid down the lift on to 
the yard-arm, and running in on the yard, had descend- 
ed to the cross-trees, leaving all his pursuers above him. 
In similar ways he contrived to evade his pursuers, I 
and others helping him by pulling at their legs, or getting 
above them and stopping their way up. He had, I con- 
sidered, fairly won the right to cob all the party ; but, 
grown bold by his success, he descended by the lift to 
the topsail yard-arm, and was about to stoop down to 
traverse the brace to the mainmast, when, from hearin«i^ 
Spellman’s shout, he looked up, and, missing his gras]), 
over he went headlong into the water. 

I was at the time on the cross-jack yard. I ran tc 
the end. Though Gogles could swim, he was, I at once 
saw, stunned by the fall. I did not stop to consider 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 837 

whether there was danger or not, but, slipping olf my 
jacket, which I in board, and kicking off my 

shoes, I plunged in after him, fortunately not losing my 
breath in my fall. I looked about for Gogles. He was 
just sinking. I swam toward him, for there was a cur 
rent running which had drifted him already to some 
distance. No sooner did I reach him, however, than 
like a squid he threw his arms about me, and made it 
impossible for me to strike out. I entreated him to free 
me, but he evidently did not understand what I said. 
The dread that we should both be drowned came over 
me. I kicked my legs about as much as I could, but 1 
could not shout out for fear of filling my mouth with 
water. I thought of sharks — indeed of all sorts of 
horrible things. We appeared to be drifting further and 
further from the ship. 

Preparations were being made to lower a boat, but I 
felt that before it could reach me I must sink. Just 
then I caught sight of the boatswain^s long nose over 
the hammock nettings, and the next instant he had slid 
down a rope overboard, and was striking out toward 
me. 

“ Shout, boy ! shout, my son ! and kick away* — kick 
away,” he kept exclaiming, as with sturdy strokes he 
clave the water, in his progress making himself all the 
time as much noise as possible. 

I guessed the reason of his cries, for I saw a black 
tin in the distance. Had I been alone when I saw that 
ill-omened fin, I believe that I should have quickly 
sunk ; but the feeling that I had my messmate to sup- 
port, and that the honest boatswain was coming to my 
29 


S3S MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

help, kept me up. I did as Mr. Johnson directed mcs, 
and kept kicking with all my might, and shouting too, 
whenever I could get my mouth clear of the water. 
Still I got more down it than was pleasant. I saw 
something gleaming in Mr. Johnson’s hand. It was a 
long Spanish knife. 

Gogles had been quiet for some time, but just then he 
began to struggle, and again clasped me round the neck. 
I felt as if I was sinking, and was earnestly wishing 
that Mr. Johnson was a few yards nearer, when I saw 
him suddenly turn aside and strike off to the left. My 
eye followed him with an intensity of interest such as I 
cannot describe. It caught the gleam of his knife, and 
then what was my horror to find that he had disap- 
peared. It was but for a moment. Directly afterward 
he rose again, surrounded by a circle of crimson, and a 
huge black body floated up near him, lashing the water. 
He darted forward, and, seizing Gogles, released me 
from his grasp. 

“ Swim on, Mr. Merry, swim on,” he shouted, shoving 
me before him. “ Here comes the boat.” 

The men bent to their oars, and the brave boatswain 
swam on with all his might. With a jerk he threw 
Gogles into the boat, and gave me a shove up as I was 
climbing in, which very nearly sent me over on the 
other side ; he then sprang after us with surprising 
agility, turning as soon as he had got his feet out of the 
water, and striking with all his might at a huge creature 
which followed close at our heels. I saw the flash of 
the monster’s white throat. 

“Habet,” shouted our third lieutenant, who was — h 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 339 

rare thing in those days in the navy — somewhat of a 
scholar. Mr. Johnson had inflicted a mortal wound on 
another shark, who was immediately surrounded by his 
amiable brethren, eager to devour him as they had 
missed us. It is not difficult to conceive what would 
have been our fate had we remained another minute in 
the water, after the boatswain had killed the first shark. 

“ You indeed did that bravely, Mr. Johnson,” said 
Mr. Haisleden, as we returned to the frigate. “ I 
never saw any thing like it. Where did you learn that 
trick ? ” 

“ In the south seas, sir,” answered the boatswain in a 
quiet tone, very different from his usual boastful manner. 
“ I was once wrecked on an island, where I saw the 
natives swim off and attack sharks with their common 
knives; and I said to myself, what a savage does an 
Englishman can do, if he takes time and practises. So 
as I had little chance of getting away for many months, 
or it might be years, I set to and learned to swim like 
the natives, and then to fight the sharks. It was no 
easy matter, and at first it was trying work to see one 
of the monsters making toward me and the native who 
accompanied me ; but, after I had seen the way in 
which he managed, I was no longer afraid, and soon 
became as expert as any of them. No man knows 
what he can do till he tries. I’ve been the means of 
saving the life of more than one shipmate by thus know- 
ing how to manage the brutes.” 

Why, you’ve ridden on a shark, Mr. Johnson,” said 
Gogles, opening his eyes. 

‘‘ Gammon ! ” answered the boatswain, twisting hia 
nose. “ I am speaking the truth now ” 


840 M ARM AD UK E MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

By this time we had reached the side of the frigate. 
Captain Collyer was on deck. He warmly thankel 
Mr. Johnson for his gallantry in jumping over to save 
us, and we received the congratulations of our friends 
at our escape, but I found that it was generally sup- 
posed I had fallen overboard as well as Gogles; nor 
did I feel inclined to explain matters. 

“ I should have mastheaded the youngsters for sky- 
larking on board the Daring,” observed Captain Stag- 
horn to one of our officers, as he took a sharp and 
hurried turn on the quarter-deck. 

“ I’m glad I don’t belong to your ship, my jewel,” 
thought I, as I overheard him. 

Gogles and I were sent below to our hammocks, and 
Mr. Johnson followed us to put on dry clothes. 

“ I’ll set all to rights, Mr. Merry,” he observed, in a 
kind tone ; “ I saw how it all happened, and the brave 
way in which you jumped after the other youngster; 
but I wouldn’t say any thing before that strange captain. 
I know him well. He’s a pest in the service, and 
always was. Had it not been for him I should have 
been on the quarter-deck. However, I must go and 
shift myself. Turn in and take a glass of grog ; you’ll 
be all to rights to-morrow morning.” 

Now the excitement was over, I felt very weary and 
uncomfortable, and was not sorry to follow his advice. 
As Mr. Johnson had predicted, the next day I was not 
a bit the worse for my adventure ; but poor Gogles took 
several days to recover from his fright, and the quantity 
of salt water he had imbibed. 

I found that Captain Collyer treated me with even 


MAKMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN’. 341 

more than his usual kindness, nor v/as I long in dis* 
covering that this arose from the account the boatswain 
took care should be conveyed to him of my conduct. I 
felt, however, that I was far more indebted to Mr. 
Johnson than Gogles was to me. I had jumped over- 
board from impulse, he with forethought and deliberate 
coolness. The circumstance cemented our friendshij) 
more closely than ever, and I am certain that he loved 
me as a son. With his rough exterior, loud voice, and 
bravery, his heart was as gentle as a woman’s. I have 
seen tears trickle down his rough cheeks at a tale of 
sorrow, while with purse and sympathy he was ever 
ready to relieve distress, and I am convinced that he 
never wronged man, woman, or child in his life. 

Two days after this, the signal was made that the 
Pearl corvette was in the offing. As soon as she en- 
tered the harbor, I got leave to pay my cousin Ceaton 
a visit. He was an admirer of ray sister Bertha, if not 
actually engaged to her, which I thought he might be 
by this time, and I was anxious to get news from home, 
as well as to see him. A kinder, better fellow never 
breathed. His manners were most gentlemanly, and 
gentle, too, and, though brave as a lion, he had never 
been known to quarrel with a shipmate or any otlier 
person. He received me as a brother, and very soon 
told me that, on his return to England, he hoped to as- 
sume that character. He had a great deal to tell me 
about home, and said that I must stay on board and 
dine with him. 

Our pleasant conversation was interrupted by the 
announcement of Major O’ Grady. The name made me 
29 * 


842 MARMADUT^E MERRY, THE MIDSIUrJIAN. 

feel uncomfortable, for he was one of the soldier officers 
who had dined on board the Doris, and appeared to be 
on \ery intimate terms with Captain Staghorn. He 
was just that stiff, punctilious-mannered, gray-eyed per- 
son, for whom I have had always a peculiar antipathy. 
He hummed and hawed, and looked sternly at me, as 
if he could have eaten me up, and thought my presence 
especially impertinent ; but budge for him I would not, 
till desired by my cousin to do so. At last he had to 
say, “ I beg your pardon. Commander Ceaton, but the 
business I have come on cannot be discussed in the 
presence of a youngster.” 

Go on deck, Marraaduke,” said my cousin. 

Unwillingly I obeyed. My worst apprehensions 
were confirmed. Captain Staghorn was resolved to 
carry out his diabolical intentions. What could be done ? 
I felt certain that Charles Ceaton had never fired a pis- 
tol except in open warfare, and as to practising for the 
sake of being the better able to kill a fellow-creature, I 
knew that was abhorrent to his nature. 

I hurried on deck as ordered, but as the skylight was 
off, and Major O’Grady spoke in a loud, and it seemed 
a bullying voice, I could hear nearly every word he 
said, nor did I consider myself wrong in drawing near 
to listen. 

“ I am not at all aware of ever having made use of 
the words imputed to me,” said my cousin, calmly. 

“ That is as much as to say, Commander Ceaton, that 
you consider my friend capable of uttering a falsehood,^ 
answered the Major, in a deliberate tone. 

“ Not at all, sir. I am simply stating the fact, that I 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSTIirMAN. 343 

cannot clearly recall having uttered the expressions you 
mention,” said my cousin. 

“ Then you do not deny that you said something of 
the sort ; indeed something to afford my friend Captain 
Staghorn sufficient ground for demanding an ample and 
i)erfect apology ? ” said the Major, in his former slow 
way. 

“I shall deny nothing,” said my cousin, at length 
nettled beyond endurance. He must be, too, I was cer- 
tain, well aware of Captain Staghorn’s reputation as a 
dead shot, and on that account resolved to go out and 
fight him. In those days, for an officer of the army or 
navy to refuse to fight a duel, however thrust on him, 
was to be disgraced in the eyes of his professional 
brethren, poor weak mortals like themselves. They 
forgot that the code of honor by which they chose to 
act, was not the code by which they were to be tried in 
another world. 

‘‘Then, Commander Ceaton, you cannot, of course, 
refuse to give Captain Staghorn the satisfaction he de- 
mands ? ” said the Major. 

“ Certainly not,” answered my cousin. 

“ You, of course, have a friend with whom I may set- 
tle preliminaries,” said the Major. “ The sooner these 
affairs are got over the better.” 

“ Undoubtedly,” said my cousin, with unusual bitterness 
in his tone. “ My first lieutenant will act for me. He 
is a man of honor and a friend. I have perfect con- 
fidence in him. I will send him to you.” 

I moved away from the skylight. My cousin came 
Dn deck, where he was joined by Mr. Sandford, who, 


844 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


after a minute’s conversation, went into the cabin. He 
and the major very quickly came on deck, the latter 
bowing stiffly as he descended to his boat alongside. I 
felt very much inclined to walk up to him, and to say. 
“ If your friend shoots my cousin, and brother that is 
to be. I’ll shoot you;” but I did not. I, however, 
watched with no friendly eyes the soldier officer, as he 
sat in his boat stiff as a ramrod, while he returned to 
the Daring. I pondered how I could prevent this duel. 
I felt that it was not fair that one man who had never 
held a duelling-pistol in his hand, should be compelled 
to fight another who could snuff a candle at twelve 
paces without putting it out. I wanted to find out when 
and where they were to meet. 

My cousin returned to the cabin with Mr. Sandford. 
The latter remained with him for some time, and when 
he returned on deck he looked very grave and sad. 
Never more clearly were the evils of duelling brouglit 
home to me. Here was a man in the prime of life, who 
might long be useful to his country and mankind, about 
to be murdered, simply because he would not apologize 
for expressions which he could not recollect having ut- 
tered. My poor sister Bertha, too — how miserable his 
untimely death would make her. 

I walked the deck feeling more unhappy than I had 
ever before done. The midshipmen of the corvette 
kept aloof from me, fancying that my cousin had com- 
municated some ill news, or perhaps that I was in dis- 
grace. I don’t know. I was glad that no one came 
and spoke to me. The dinner hour at last arrived, and 
I went into the cabin. Of course I was supposed not 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 345 

to know any thing about the contemplated duel, and I 
tried to appear as cheerful as before. Besides Mr. 
Sandford, the purser dined in the cabin, and no allusion 
even was made to the major’s visit. My cousin endeav 
ored to keep up the conversation, and smiled at the pur- 
ser’s bad puns, which he had probably heard a hundred 
times before. I talked whenever I could about home — ■ 
the dear old hall — my sisters and brothers, and my 
father and mother. I observed that a shade of 
pain passed over his countenance whenever I men- 
tioned my sisters. I was unwise in doing so, unless 
it could have had the effect of shaking his reso- 
lution, and inducing him to send to Captain Stag- 
horn, and to tell him that men of the world might say 
what they chose, but that he would not go forth to 
break the law of God, to take his life or to lose his 
own. But why do I say that ? I now know that noth- 
ing but the love of God, and of God’s law implanted in 
his heart, would have induced him thus to act. Ab- 
stractedly he knew that he was about to do a wrong 
thing, but had he been really making God’s law the rule 
of his life, he would not have hesitated one moment, but 
the moment Major O’Grady had opened the subject, he 
would have told him plainly that he feared God more 
than man; that if he had wronged Captain Staghorn, 
even though unintentionally, he would make him all the 
amends in his power, but that fight he would not. His 
conduct, however, very clearly showed — that brave, 
and honest, and generous, and kind-hearted as he was, 
a man to be esteemed and loved — that he feared man, 
and what man might say, more than God, and how God 


546 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

would judge. Numbers act thus ; but numbers perish 
of a plague. That there are many, does not save them. 

It must be understood that I did not think thus at the 
time. I was only a little less careless and thoughtless 
than those around me. I was very sorry, though, that 
my cousin was going out to fight with a man who was a 
dead shot, because I was afraid he would be killed, and 
that my sister Bertha, whom I loved dearly, would be 
made miserable. It did not occur to me, as I looked at 
his open and intelligent countenance, his broad chest 
and manly form, how sad it was that, by that time the 
next day, he might be laid in the cold grave. 

Dinner progressed slowly. Under other circumstances 
he would have thought me especially stupid, for there 
was a feeling in my throat and a weight at my heart 
which effectually stopped me from being lively. After 
coffee had been taken, I mechanically rose with the 
rest, and went on deck. I had not been there long, 
before it occurred to me that I ought to have wished 
him good-by, as a boat was alongside to carry some 
liberty-men on board the Doris. I desired the sentry to 
ask if I might see him, and was immediately admitted. 

‘^I am glad that you are come, Marmaduke,” he 
observed. “We cannot tell what may happen to us in 
this climate. Yellow Jack may lay his fist on us, or a 
hurricane may send our craft to the bottom ; so, you see, 
I have thought it better to do up a little packet, which, 
in case of any thing happening to me, I wish you would 
give to Bertha from me. I don’t wish to die, but in 
case I should, tell her that my last thoughts w'ere about 
her, and my prayers for her welfare. Oh ! Marmaduke, 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 347 

Fbe is one in a thousand. Cherish her as the" apple of 
your eye. You do not know her excellences.*’ 

He went on very justly praising Bertha for some 
time, till there was a tremulousness came into his voice 
which compelled him to stop, and I very nearly blub- 
bered outright. At last he told me to return to the 
Doris, and come and dine with him the next day. 

That is to say,” he added, “ if Yellow Jack has not 
got a gripe of me in the mean time.” 

With a heavy heart I went back to the frigate. I 
took two or tliree turns on deck, considering if I could 
do any thing, when it occurred to me that I would con- 
fide the matter to Mr. Johnson, and get his advice, and, 
it might be, assistance. I found him as usual, when the 
duties of the day were over, seated in his cabin, reading 
a book by the light of a ship’s lantern. He put down 
his book when I entered, and seeing by my countenance 
that something was wrong, said, — 

“ What is the matter now, Mr. Merry ? I’ll do wliat 
I can, depend on that.” 

I told him all I knew, and asked him if there was any 
way of preventing my cousin being shot. He looked 
grave and thoughtful. 

‘‘And these men pretend to have sense in their 
beads ! ” he muttered. “ Sense ! they haven’t ten grains 
of it. Haven’t they a chance, every day of their lives, 
of having their brains knocked out all in the way of 
duty, and they must needs try and kill each other very 
contrary to the way of duty. I never really wished to 
be a Lord of the Admiralty, but if I was, and had my 
way, I would break every officer who called out another^ 
or accepted a challenge, or acted as second.” 


348 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIP:^! AN. 

^ Then you’d have those hung who killed their men ? ” 
i exclaimed, entering into his views. 

“ No, I would not I would leave them to the just 
punishment their own consciences would inflict ere 
long,” he answered gravely. “ But I would not allow 
men like Captain Staghorn to retain His Majesty’s com- 
mission, and to ride roughshod over his brother officers, 
just because he fears God’s wrath less than they do. But 
you ask me how this duel is to be prevented ? If you 
were to let the admiral himself know, he would not 
interfere. The only way I can think of, would be to 
shoot Captain Staghorn first, and that wouldn’t be quite 
the thing. Even if we could give him a settler, we must 
never do evil that good may come of it ; I know that. 
The fact is, I am at fault, Mr. Merry. If either of them 
were living on shore, something might be done ; but it’s 
no easy matter, and that you’ll allow, to get hold of two 
captains of men-of-war living on board their own ships.” 

I agreed with him with a heavy heart. We twisted 
and turned the matter over in every way, but did not 
succeed in .seeing daylight through it. Perhaps if we 
had known how and where to seek for assistance, we 
might have found it. It was my first watch. After 
our supper of biscuits and rum and water, I went on 
deck, and when my watch was over, turned into my 
liammock with cruel apprehensions as to the news I 
should hear in the morning. 

I was somewhat surprised to find myself sent for, as 
soon as I was dressed, into the captain’s cabin. I felt 
anxious, for I thought that it must be something about my 
OQUsin. The captain, however, wanted simply to tell 


MAllMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 349 

me to take a note on board the Daring, and to return 
with an answer. 

It was a lovely morning ; the water was as smooth as 
glass, the sky pure and bright, and the distant landscape 
which I have before described, looking romantic and 
lovely in the extreme. As I shoved off from the frigate 
I saw a boat from the Pearl — the captain’s gig, I 
guessed — cross our bows and pull toward the shore of 
the Palisades some little way up the harbor. I was 
soon alongside the Daring, and as I crossed the quarter- 
deck with the note in my hand, I saw that Captain 
Staghorn, who was in full uniform, was about to go on 
shore. The officers on duty were ranged on either side 
of the gangway in the usual manner. Major O’Grady, 
stiff and sour, was by his side. There was a terrible 
savage look, I thought, in Captain Staghorn’s gray evil 
eye. I stepped across the deck to deliver my note. 
Before I gave it, I heard him say, as he walked along 
the deck, “ I only intend to wing the fellow, major. I 
swore long ago I’d punish him, and I will keep my 
word.” 

The major made a grim face, and muttered, “ The 
brain is the best billet.” 

I handed my note. 

“ Wait, youngster,” he said, sharply, “ I shall be back 
presently. I’ll send an answer then ; ” and crumpling up 
the note, he put it in his pocket. 

As he was just stepping down the gangway ladder, 
he turned, and said aloud to his first lieutenant, Should 
the admiral and captain so-and-so arrive before I return, 
give my compliments and say that I was compelled to 
30 


{550 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

go on shore, but shall be back immediately.” I found 
that Captain Staghorn had invited a large party to 
breakfast with him on that morning, and that their 
arrival on board was every minute expected. 

“ Ay, ay, sir,” answered the first lieutenant ; and Cap- 
tain Staghorn and Major O’ Grady took their seats. 

The oars fell with a splash into the water, and the gig 
darted away in the direction taken by the Pearl’s boat. 
I watched the two boats pulling up the harbor as long 
as they continued in sight. 1 had never in my life felt 
so anxious and grieved. From what I had been told of 
Captain Staghorn, and of his wonderful skill as a shot, 
I did not for a moment doubt that my poor cousin’s life 
was completely in his power, and from the words uttered 
by that evil-visaged major, I had a dreadful apprehen- 
sion that he would exercise his skill to"my relative’s 
destruction. My grief was not only on his account, but 
on that of my dear sister Bertha. I thought of the 
bitter sorrow she would suffer when she heard how he 
had died. Had he been killed in action with the enemies 
of his country, she would have mourned his loss long 
and deeply ; for time, I knew, would soften such sorrow ; 
but to hear that, weakly yielding to an abominable cus- 
tom, he had died infringing the laws of God and man, 
would prove to a person with a mind and opinions such 
as hers, almost insupportable. “ It will kill her, it will 
kill her ! ” I kept exclaiming to myself, and I could 
scarcely help wringing my hands and giving way to 
tears. I have often since thought, that if boys and men 
did but reflect more than they are apt to do of the sor- 
row and suffering which their acts may cause to those 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 851 

they leave at home, whom they love dearly, and on 
whom they would be really unwilling to inflict the 
slightest pain, they would often pause before they 
plunged into sin and folly. I fancied that no one would 
know what the two captains had gone about, and was 
walking the deck in solitude meditating, as I have said, 
on the cruel event about to occur, when I was accosted 
by the midshipman who had paid the Doris a visit a few 
days before, and invited down to breakfast. 


S62 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


CHAPTER XV. 

I WAS ushered with due form into the midshipman^s 
berth of the Daring. A large party were assembled, 
discussing an ample supply of food prepared for break- 
fast. They seemed a very free and easy set, and it 
vas no fault of theirs if I did not find myself at home ; 
^ut I was far too anxious to do justice to the good things 
placed before me, nor could I keep ray mind from 
dwelling on the sad work I believed then going forward. 
I soon found that the object of the captain’s visit to the 
shore was no secret. He had been boasting the evening 
before of what he had done in the duelling way, and 
congratulating himself on at length being able to reap 
the revenge he had so long sought, swearing at the 
time that he would shoot Captain Ceaton through the 
head, as he would any man who dared to impugn his 
veracity. Was, then, his remark, that he would only 
wing him, the result of some momentary compunction 
of conscience, to be banished by the counsels of that 
Mephistophiles-like major? I feared so. The mid- 
shipmen did not know that Captain Ceaton was my 
relative, and though some seemed to feel for my anx- 
iety, others only laughed, and told me that I might as 
well begin to pipe my eye, for by that time my cousin 
would have a hole drilled through him, I might depend 
on it. They seemed, indeed, to be proud of their 
captain’s performances in that way, and anxious to imi 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 353 
tate him. Two or three of them boasted of havin" 

O 

fought duels with midsliipmen of other ships, though, 
as they used not over sharp cutlasses, there had been 
no fatal results. I was very glad that I did not belong 
to the ship, for a more boastful, quarrelsome set of 
fellows I never fell among. The sort of things Mr. 
Johnson said in joke, they uttered in grave earnest, and 
they were excessively angry if they were not believed. 
However, I managed to keep my temper, and at last to 
eat some breakfast, in spite of my anxiety about my 
cousin. As soon as I could, I returned on deck, where 
I was joined by my former acquaintance. He begged 
that I would not mind what had been said. 

“ You see,” he observed, “ the captain sets the fashion 
and the greater number follow it. If we had had a 
different captain, these same fellows would have had 
very different ideas.” 

I have often since then had occasion to make the re- 
mark, that, as a rule, drinking, swearing,, profligate cap- 
tains turn out offlcers of the same character. A brave, 
virtuous, and good commander cannot make all those 
under him like himself ; but his example will induce 
imitation among some, and act as a curb to vice among 
others. Great, indeed, is the responsibility of a captain 
of a man-of-war ; indeed, of any ship where tliere are 
officers and men looking up to him. We had not been 
on deck long when the admiral came off' in his barge 
from the shore, and three or four captains arrived in 
their gigs, as well as some military men in shore boats. 
The first lieutenant made Captain Staghorn’s apologies, 
30 * 


854 marjiadCke merry, the midshipman. 

saying that affairs of importance had taken him earl^ 
on shore, but that he would be off immediately. 

The admiral walked up and down the deck rather 
impatiently, and looked annoyed, as if Captain Staghorn 
was not treating him with proper respect. He was also 
very hungry, probably, and he kept continually pulling 
out his watch and replacing it hurriedly in his fob. 
The captains and other officers, aware, probably, of 
Captain Staghorn’s eccentricities, were less annoyed ; 
but even they at times gave signs of impatience. At 
length the signal midshipman announced that the cap- 
tain’s gig was coming off down the harbor. My heart 
beat quick. I never felt so anxious. Some midship- 
men were in the main chains. I joined them, eager to 
ascertain if my cousin’s boat was also coming down the 
harbor. I borrowed a glass. After a time I thought 
that I could distinguish my cousin’s boat coming down. 
Had he escaped ; or had the duel been prevented ? I 
made out two officers seated in the stern, but the boat 
passed at a distance from the Daring, and I was un- 
certain who they were. I had been so eagerly watch- 
ing the Pearl’s gig, that I had not observed the Daring’s, 
which now approached. A murmur ran through the 
ship — there was something solemn in the sound. I 
looked down with an indefinite feeling of dread. Still, 
I expected to see Captain Staghorn sitting upright, with 
his disagreeable companion by his side. The major 
was there, but a human form lay in the stern-sheets, 
with a boat’s flag thrown over the face, to keep off the 
tizzing flies which were clustering above it. The 


MAKMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 855 

murmur increased into unmistakable accents ; the cap- 
tain was dead — shot through the heart. I hurried to 
the gangway, round which the admiral and officers and 
men were assembling. The captain had returned at 
the hour he promised ; but how differently 1 The flag 
fell from his face as the corpse was being lifted on deck. 
Tlie eyes were open and staring horribly ; the teeth 
were clenched, and the mouth wore that same bad, dis- 
agreeable expression it had worn two short hours brfore, 
when, full of life and strength, and confiding in the 
firmness of his nerve and his correct eye, he had stepped 
carelessly down the companion-ladder, determined griev- 
ously to wound or to take the life of a fellow-creature. 
The doctor went through the form of examining him to 
ascertain that he was dead. He lifted up a hand, it fell 
heavily on the deck. 

“There’s no doubt about it,” observed the major, 
coolly. “You never saw a man alive with a hole 
drilled through him like that;” and he scientifically 
pointed out the course the bullet had taken. 

Tlie admiral and other officers collected round, 
and he continued, “ I never saw any thing more unex- 
pected. He walked to the ground with the air of a man 
going to a ball, laughing and joking the whole way. Not 
a muscle shook as he took the pistol and placed himself 
in position directly I had measured off the ground. I 
must say that commander Ceaton behaved with courage 
and as a gentleman ; but it was evident that neither he 
nor his second had the slightest notion of how to con- 
duct affairs of the sort. Commander Ceaton placed 
himself with his full front facing his antagonist; and 


356 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHII'MAN. 

when I remonstrated with his second, as he was not thus 
giving himself a fair chance, he said that his captain 
chose to stand in that way, and that he would not 
change his position. I then returned to my principal. 
I naturally asked where he intended to hit his oppo- 
nent. ‘ In the head,’ he replied ; ‘ his very look annoys 
me.’ I retired to give the signal. Which pistol went 
off first I do not know ; but instead of seeing comman- 
ded’ Ceaton drop, as I expected, I saw my principal h^ap 
into the air and fall flat on his face to the ground ; 
while commander Ceaton stood unmoved. I never saw 
a man so cut up about a thing. I should have supposed 
that he had killed a friend, instead of a deadly enemy. 
We had positively to send the doctor to him to prevent 
his fainting. And poor Staghorn here, he never ex- 
pected such an ending.” 

“ But never was one more richly deserved,” muttered 
the admiral, turning away with a look of thorough dis- 
gust at the major’s cold-blooded indifference to his 
friend’s awful death. 

However, the admiral and other officers retired into 
the cabin to discuss the breakfast prepared for them, 
though their host was not present, with what appetite 
I cannot say. As I could not now get an answer to the 
note I had brought, I returned to the Doris to report 
what had occurred. 

“ He has met his deserts ; and yet how awful,” said 
Captain Collyer half aloud, as I told him of Captain 
Staghorn’s death. 

All in our berth were eager to hear what 1 had to 
tell them about the duel, and I could not help observing 


MABMADUKE MERKY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 357 

how different the remarks of my messmates were from 
those which had been uttered in the Daring’s berth. 
Hearty satisfaction was also expressed that my cousin 
had escaped. I was eager to go on board the Pearl to 
congratulate him and to take him back Bertha’s pack- 
age, as I now knew why he had given it to me. I could 
not, however, go till the evening, when Mr. Bryan gave 
me leave to take the dingy. I sent down my name, 
and was told to go into the cabin. I found Captain 
Ceaton seated at a table, with a book before him. He 
lifted up his head from his hand, on which it had been 
resting, when I entered. I had never seen so great a 
change in any person in so short a time. His counte- 
nance was pale and haggard, his eyes sunk, and his 
whole look would have made me suppose that he had 
undergone a year of the most severe mental suffering, 
or some painful illness of still longer duration. I was 
going to congratulate him on having come off the victor, 
but I could not bring out the words I had intended to 
use. I merely murmured out, “ I am so very glad you 
are alive. I have brought back the package for Bertha. 
I know now why you gave it to me.” 

“ Keep it still, Marmaduke,” he angered gloomily. 
“ I feel that I shall soon be summoned hence. God’s 
wrath rests on the willing homicide, and I have sent 
that man without an evil deed repented of into the 
presence of his Maker. I was too eager to fire. 
Almost before the word was given I had lifted 
my hand to do the accursed deed. I would far, far 
rather have been shot myself. Let my misery be a 
warning to you. Never on any account lift your hand 


558 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

against the life of a fellow-creature, unless you are 
fighting for your country or attacked by assassins. The 
world may gloss over the deed as it will ; the conscience 
cannot gild a crime.” 

He said a good deal more in the same style. I tried 
to comfort him as well as I could, and talked about my 
sister and the future. 

“ What, unite a spotless hand to that of one stained 
with the blood of a fellow-creature ! ” he exclaimed. 
“ No, Marmaduke, when she knows the truth, she will 
shudder at the thought.” 

I now saw that he was altogether unnerved, and I 
hoped that, if his surgeon was a sensible man, he might 
do him more good than I could with any arguments at 
my command. After a time I went on deck^^and find- 
ing the surgeon walking by himself, I went up to him 
and told him what I thought. 

“ Very sensible, youngster. Some soothing draught 
is what he wants. I’ll get him to take it,” he answered 
“ Your relative, let me tell you, had a narrow escape 
Did he show you where the bullet grazed his head and 
took off the hair ? ” 

“ No, indeed. I did not know even that Captain 
Staghorn had fired,” said I. 

“ Ay, but he did though, and he aimed at your cousin's 
brain,” said the surgeon. “ Mr. Sandford tells me that, 
as he looked at his antagonist’s evil eye, he never ex- 
pected to hear the captain speak again. He’s unhappy 
now, and shocked ; very natural for a man of fine feel- 
ing ; but he’ll get over it, don’t be afraid.” 

“ Then the wretched man took the advice of his evi^ 


MARMADUKE MERRF, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 859 

eounsellor, and resolved to kill my poor cousin/’ 1 
thought to myself. I was afraid, however, that the fact 
would be no comfort to him, but would rather aggravate 
his suffering when he thought that the last feeling which 
had animated the bosom of the man who had been so 
suddenly sent to his dread account, was that of bitter 
animosity and revenge. I instinctively felt this ; and so, 
when I returned to the cabin before leaving the ship, I 
refrained from touching on the subject. I did not know 
at the time, nor did any one else on board, I am afraid, 
in a position to speak to him, where alone he could seek 
for comfort and consolation in his wretchedness, for 
wretched he was, and almost hopeless. 

However, I must not longer dwell on the subject. I 
returned to the Doris, but I got leave on most days to 
visit my cousin. I did not see any great change in him 
for the better. An inquiry took place with regard to 
the duel, but the evidence in his favor was so strong, 
and Captain Staghorn’s character was so notorious, that 
he was acquitted of all blame in the matter. I was 
truly glad to find that we and the Pearl were to sail 
together and cruise in company for some time, in search 
of some of the enemy’s privateers, which had been com- 
mitting havock among our merchantmen. The day 
before we sailed we received a visit from old Colonel 
Pinchard, and we invited him down to dinner. He 
seemed in high feather. Laving got as many pupils as he 
could manage to instruct in French ; and, moreover, as 
he told us, he had hopes that he had softened the heart 
of a Creole lady, who, though somewhat weighty her- 
self, was outweighed by the bags of doubloons of which 


160 BIABMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

she was the owner, not to speak of a number of male 
and female slaves, who acknowledged her as their mis 
tress. Ah, you see, vary good, vary good,” he added. 
“ You see, moch obliged to you for take me prisoner. 1 
drink to de sant4 of all de young gentlemans of de 
Doris.” The old colonel certainly contrived to make 
himself very happy, and we sent him on shore singing 
alternately the Marseillaise hymn, some Royalist tunes, 
and God save the King, while he kept occasionally 
shouting out “ Vive Napoleon ! ” “ Vive I’Angleterre ! ” 
“ Vive la France ! ” exhibiting in his cups the real cos- 
mopolitan feelings which inspired him — the feelings of 
most old soldiers of fortune. They start probably with 
some vague notions of seeking honor and glory, but, 
finding the objects at which they aim thoroughly unsatis- 
fying, they in most cases become intensely selfish, and 
think only how they can make themselves most comfort- 
able under any circumstances in which they are placed, 
or how they can secure the largest amount of plunder. 
This was the last time I saw Colonel Pinchard, but I 
heard that he married the Creole widow, foreswore 
France, and settled in Jamaica. 

We were all glad to get to sea again, as we had little 
pleasure from being in harbor ; for, though the West 
Indies has mnny charms, and at some seasons no fault 
can be found with the climate, yet Yellow Jack is an 
unpleasant customer, whose visits we were happy to 
avoid. I have not named any of my messmates for 
some time. Poor McAllister was the only one much 
changed ; the climate certainly affected him, but he got 
« great deal of badgering from the officers of his own 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 361 

standing in the service, and especially from the mates 
of other ships, for having been outwitted by the French 
man, and for losing his prize. He took this bantering 
ill in public, and brooded over the subject in private, till 
he began to believe that his courage was doubted, and 
that he must do some very daring deed to retrieve it. 
But I must do old Perigal the credit to say that he 
never bantered him, though Spellman did whenever he 
thought he could give a sly hit with impunity. I did 
what I could to comfort him, and the liking for me 
which he had always entertained evidently increased. 
I was in his watch, and, as we walked the deck together, 
he would talk to me by the hour of Scotland, and the 
estate of his ancestors, which he hoped one day to re- 
cover. Suddenly he would break off, and in a tone of 
deep melancholy, exclaim, “ Ah, but those are dreams 
— all dreams — never to be realized. I am never to 
see bonnie Scotland again ; her heathery hills, and blue, 
blue lochs, and my own Mary ; but Tve never told you 
of her. She’s been the pole-star to me since I came to 
sea. She was but a young girl then, but when I had 
returned from my first voyage, she’d grown into the 
fairest maiden for many a mile round, and soon she 
promised to be mine, when I should get ray promotion. 
I won’t talk more of her, though ; but you’ll undertake, 
Mr. Merry, when you go home, should I lose the num- 
ber of my mess, to go and find out the poor girl, and tell 
her all about me.” And so he ran on. Of course I 
promised to do all he wished. Midshipmen always do 
promise each other all sorts of things of a similar nature, 
31 


862 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

and intend to fulfil their promises faithfully, though 1 
am not prepared to assert that they always do so. 

By the by, it is rather curious that at least half my 
messmates who confided their attachments to me were 
in love with young ladies of the name of Mary. Some- 
times, I suspect, they were myths, but they did equally 
well to talk about. To a sailor’s ear there is something 
very attractive in the name; certainly I have known 
several most charming Marys, and one especially — but 
I am not going to make confessions. 

The Pearl sailed well, and kept easily in company 
with us. After getting clear of Jamaica we stood to 
the eastward, to run down among the French islands, 
where w'e might have a chance of falling in with some 
of the privateers starting on their cruises. We had 
before long done a good deal of mischief among them ; 
we captured three, sunk one, burnt another, and drove 
two on shore. At last, one morning at daybreak, a large 
schooner was reported in sight, standing to the south- 
ward. Both we and the corvette made all sail in chase. 
There was no doubt that she was an enemy, as she 
spread all the canvas she could set for the purpose of 
escaping. The wind was light, which was to her advan- 
tage, and from the first it seemed very doubtful that we 
should overtake the chase. Still, while there was a 
chance. Captain Collyer was not the man to give it up. 
The wind was about abeam. The corvette was ordered 
to keep well to windward, to prevent the schooner 
from hauling up, and thus escaping ; while there was no 
doubt that, should she attempt to escape before the 
wind, fast as she might sail we should come up with her. 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 868 

Our aim was to jam her down on the land, as we had 
done other vessels, when we should drive her on shore 
or capture her. 

During the morning I was several times on the fore- 
castle, where I found McAllister with his glass eagerly 
fixed on the chase. 

“ I am certain of it,” he exclaimed. “ As true as I 
am a Highland gentleman, and my name is McAllister, 
that craft ahead of us is the Audacieuse. I know her 
by second sight, or, if you don’t believe in it, by the cut 
of her canvas, even at this distance. I’m certain of it 
I would give my patrimony, and more wealth than I am 
ever likely to possess, to come up with her. I’ll make 
Lieut. Preville pay dearly for the trick he played us.” 

Though I thought very likely that th? schooner in 
sight was our former prize, I could not be certain 
Neither were the men who had been with us, nor were 
the crew of the Espoir at all certain as to the vessel in 
sight As Ned Bambrick observed, c‘ She might be her, 
or she might not be her ; but one French schooner, at 
the distance of seven or eight miles, looked very like 
another, and that’s all I can say, do ye see, sir, for cer- 
tain. The only way is to overhaul her, and then we 
shall know.” 

Perigal was inclined to side with McAllister, from the 
satisfaction which the so-doing afforded him ; indeed, he 
now appeared in far better spirits than he had done since 
our mishap. 

At last the breeze freshened, and we rose the land, 
the coast of Cuba, beyond the chase. Her chance of 
escape was consequently much lessened, unless she could 


564 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

haul up along shore, or there was any harbor up which 
she might run for shelter. We were now clearly gain- 
ing on her, and as we drew nearer McAllister became 
more and more certain that she was the Audacieuse, 
while others also agreed with him. I, of course, hoj)ed 
that he was right. 

c‘ We will make Prdville cook for us. He shall be 
employed in dressing ragouts all day long,” he exclaimed, 
rubbing his hands. “ But I hope he won’t yield without 
fighting. I wish it would fall calm, and I may be sent 
in command of the boats to take him. That would be 
the most satisfactory thing.” 

I agreed with him in the latter point, but argued that 
the Frenchmejj had only treated us as we should have 
attempted to treat them under similar circumstances, so 
that we had no reason to complain, while they had also 
behaved, most liberally to us when giving us a boat to 
reach Jamaica. My poor messmate was, however, far 
too excited to listen to reason. 

The day wore on. Nothing would induce M‘Allister 
to leave the deck. We sent him up some cold meat 
and biscuit for dinner, but he would scarcely touch the 
food, continually keeping his eye on the chase. The 
day was advancing, and we were drawing in with the 
land. It was still uncertain whether we should catch 
her, as she might more easily escape us during darkness. 
We were about two miles from the land, against the 
dark outline of which her sails appeared shining 
brightly in the rays of the sun, just sinking into the 
ocean. The wind was dropping. If the land breeze 
came off, we might not be able to work up to her, though 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN, 865 

Fhe might anchor, and then McAllister's wish would be 
gratified. 

I had returned to the forecastle, where a good many 
of the officers were assembled, watching the chase. The 
sun had sunk below the horizon. The gloom came 
down with a rapidity unknown in northern latitudes. 
There was the schooner. Our eyes were on her. Sud- 
dmly she disappeared. M‘Allister stamped with his 
foot, and I thought would have dashed his glass on the 
deck, when he could no longer discover her. So unex- 
pectedly had the chase vanished that some began to pro- 
nounce her the Flying Dutchman, or a phantom craft 
of that description. The master, however, very soon 
appeared, and announced the fact that inside of us was 
a strongly fortified harbor, and that of course the cause 
of the chase being no longer seen was that she had run 
up it, and rapidly furled her sails. 

We now hauled off the land, and hove to, and Cap- 
tain Ceaton coming on board, it was agreed that an at- 
tempt should be made to cut out the schooner, and any 
other vessels which might be in the harbor. The plan 
was very simple. The marines, with a party of sea- 
men, were to land and attack the forts in the rear, while 
the ships’ boats, manned by all the blue jackets who 
could be spared, were to take possession of the vessels 
in the harbor, if they could. 

The harbor was reported as strongly fortified, and it 
was important, therefore, if possible, to take the enemy 
by surprise. The captains consequently resolved to put 
off the attack till another night. This did not suit poor 
31* 


366 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAR. 


McAllister’s impatience. He was eager to commence 
the undertaking without delaj. 

The two ships now stood off to such a distance that 
they could not be seen from the shore, and we then 
hove to. All those to be employed were busily prepar- 
ing for the work in hand. It was understood that it 
would be far more severe than any thing in which we 
had yet engaged. Captain Ceaton begged leave to lead 
the expedition, and, Mr. Bryan being ill, Mr. Fitzgerald 
was to be second in command. The land forces were 
led by Lieutenant Fig of the marines. Though his 
name was short, he was not ; and he was, moreover, a 
very gallant fellow. The second lieutenant of the cor- 
vette had charge of the boats for landing the soldiers. 
In such exploits it is seldom that the senior captaiu 
himself commands ; indeed, they are generally confided 
to the lieutenants who have their commissions to win. 
M‘Allister, to his great satisfaction, got command of one 
boat, with Gray as his companion ; and Mr. Johnson, 
whom I accompanied, took charge of another. We 
were to have three boats from the frigate, and two from 
the corvette, the rest being employed in landing the 
soldiers. My cousin was unwell, and in the evening his 
surgeon sent on board to say that he was utterly unfit 
to accompany the proposed expedition, the command of 
which was therefore claimed by Mr. Fitzgerald. 

“ If it was daylight, his phiz would go far to secure 
us the victory,” observed Perigal, who did not hold oui 
eccentric second lieutenant in high estimation. “ How 
ever, he can shriek, and that is something.” 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 867 

As soon as it was dark, we once more stood toward 
the land, but the night wind came off, and we worked up 
at a slow rate, which sorely tried our patience. The 
liours of darkness passed by; still, we had night enough 
left to do the work. The ships hove to, and the boats 
were piped away. My heart beat high. I longed al- 
most as much as McAllister to regain possession of the 
Audacieuse, should the schooner prove to be her. There 
was no time to be lost, lest daylight might surprise us. 
We shoved off, and away we went right merrily, with 
muffled oars, the men bending their backs to them with 
a will. 

There was supposed to be a little cove outside the 
chief harbor, and here the soldiers were to land and 
form. A rocket sent up by our part of the expedition, 
as soon as we were alongside the schooner or discov- 
ered by the enemy, was to be the signal for the soldiers 
to advance and storm the works. At some little dis- 
tance from the harbor’s mouth we parted from the land 
forces, and now still more rapidly we advanced. On a 
hill overlooking the harbor we could distinguish the 
outline of a formidable-looking fort, or rather castle ; 
while close under its guns lay, not only the schooner, 
but rising up, with the tracery of their spars and rig- 
ging pencilled against the sky, appeared a large three- 
masted ship, either a heavy corvette or a frigate, with 
three or four more vessels moored head and stern of 
her, while the schooner lay more out, with her guns 
pointing down the harbor — so that, to get at her, we 
should have to pass under the fire of all the rest, whils 


868 MAEMADUKE MERRT, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 


the guns from the fort above could plunge their fire right 
down upon us. 

The tide was running strong out of the harbor, and 
the gray streaks of dawn were already appearing in the 
east. These circumstances might be to our advantage, 
if we were once in possession of the schooner, but were 
at present very much against us. What other officers 
might have done in a similar case I am not prepared to 
say ; but Paddy Fitzgerald was not the man to turn his 
back on an enemy till he had crossed blades with him. 
So on we pulled, rather slowly though, against the cur- 
rent. I hoped that the enemy had not discovered us, 
for it seemed as if no watch even was kept on board 
the vessels, and that all their crews were wrapped in 
sleep. 

Don’t to be too sure of that,” whispered Mr. John- 
son. “ They are not like heavy-sterned Dutchmen or 
Bussians; these Frenchmen always sleep with one eye 
open.” 

Whether he was right or not I do not know, but just 
as the boats, all keeping close together in beautiful 
order, had got abreast of the lowest vessel, our eccentric 
leader, either by accident or on purpose, for the sake of 
giving the enemy a better chance of knocking us to 
pieces, sent up the rocket right over their heads. The 
first whiz must have startled the sleeping watch, and in 
a few seconds drums were heard beating to quarters, 
and officers bawling and shouting, and lights gleaming 
about in all directions. The crew of the schooner, too, 
gave evidence that they were on the alert, for several 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 369 

shot came flying down the harbor over our heads. 
They had not got the range, but they would soon. Mr. 
Fitzgerald’s voice was heard shouting, 

“We’ve awoke them up. Erin go bragh ! Hurra, 
lads ! push on ! ” 

A deep voice was heard joining the shout, “ For tho 
schooner ! The schooner’s our aim ! ” It was that of 
McAllister. 

On shore, too, and in the fort, there was a great com- 
motion ; drums there also were beating, and officers 
calling the garrison to the ramparts, while bright flashes 
and the rattle of musketry showed that those of the 
land expedition was well performing their part of the 
undertaking. 

We dashed on as fast as we could urge the boats 
against the current, right under the broadsides of the 
corvette and other vessels, which began pouring in on 
us a terrific fire of great guns and small arms, which 
soon made fearful havoc among our crews. Still we 
pulled on. Three men in the boatswain’s boat had 
been struck, one of whom was killed, when a shower of 
grape-shot came plunging down directly into her, killing 
another man, and tearing right through her sides. She 
filled rapidly. A cry arose from our poor fellows, as 
they found themselves sinking. We were close to an- 
other boat. Mr. Johnson, seizing one of the wounded 
men, and telling me to follow him, and the coxswain 
grasping the other, we all leaped into her. We found 
she was McAllister’s. Two men in her were killed, and 
poor Gray lay in the stern-sheets badly hurt. McAllis- 
ter was all excitement, -utterly regardless of the shot 


370 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

like hail flying round him, and urging the men to pull 
toward the schooner. We had nearly reached her, 
when Mr. Fitzgerald, who had hitherto been cheering 
on the men, fell back wounded, giving the order, as he 
(lid so, to retreat. It was too. evident that success was 
MO longer possible ; one quarter of the party were either 
killed or wounded, and many more must be lost before 
we could even gain the deck of the schooner. M‘Allis- 
ter thought differently ; the object for which he had so 
long been wishing seemed within his grasp. He sprang 
forward, and in the gray light of morning I could see 
iiis figure as he stood up, and waving his hand, shouted, 

“ My name is McAllister, of ancient lineage, and the 
rightful owner of a broad estate in the Highlands, and 
it shall never be said that I turned my back to the foe. 
On, lads, and the Audacieuse will be ours ! ” 

Scarcely had he uttered the words, when a round 
shot struck him on the breast and knocked him over- 
board, before any one could grasp him. Instantly Mr. 
Johnson sprang up, and shouted, 

“ My name is not M‘Allister, and I haven’t an acre 
of land in Scotland or elsewhere, and so give way, my 
lads, with the starboard oars, and back with the lar- 
board ones, and let us get out of this as fast as we can, 
or not one of us will have a whole skin to cover his 
bones.” 

The men obeyed. I was very glad they did, for I 
had had quite enough of the work, and getting the boat 
round, the current soon carried us out of the hottest 
part of the fire. Still the shot came whistling after us, 
and when I considered the terrifi i fire to which we had 


MARMADUICE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 37l 

been so long exposed, I could only feel thauLful at find- 
ing myself and any of my companions still in the land 
of the living. As it was, two of our beats v ere knocked 
to pieces and sunk, and fully half those who had formed 
the expedition were either killed or wounded. 

My attention was now turned toward my friend Gra}^, 
who lay in the stern-sheets groaning with pain. I was 
stooping forward to bind my handkerchief over his arm, 
when a round shot flew by, which Mr. Johnson told me 
would have taken off my head had I been sitting up- 
right. For his sake, and that of the wounded men, I 
was very anxious to return on board, but I found that 
we had first to go in and cover the embarkation of the 
soldiers, in case they had been defeated and followed, or 
to give them notice of our failure should they still be 
persevering in the attack. On getting into the little 
harbor, no one was found on the beach, and I was 
therefore despatched to direct Lieutenant Fig to retire. 
It was an undertaking of no little hazard, for I might 
be made a prisoner by the enemy, or lose my way and 
be unable to return to the harbor. 

Toby Bluff, who had stowed himself away in one of 
the other boats, entreated that he might be allowed to 
accompany me. I was very glad to have a companion 
Two people can often carry out an object in which one 
may fail. 

Off we set, having taken the supposed bearings of the 
fort, as fast as we could manage to get along through 
the gloom. The first part of our path was through 
sand, with rocks sticking up here and there, over which 
we stumbled several times and broke our shins, but we 


S72 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

picked ourselves up as well as we could, and not having 
time to give them a rub hurried on. We were soon 
among maize fields, and then some coffee or other plan- 
tations, but fortunately there were no tall trees near yet 
further to darken the road. The path was somewhat 
rough, but I believed that it was the only one leading 
to the fort. The firing had entirely ceased. I could 
not, howevbr, tell whether this was a good or a bad 
sign ; whether our marines had entered the fort, or had 
been driven back. Eager to ascertain and to deliver 
my orders, we continued to push on. Suddenly, as we 
were passing a narrow place, with thick bushes on either 
side, some large hands were laid on my shoulders, and 
a rough negro voice said, — 

“ Qui Stes-vous, jeunes gens ? ” 

“ Amis, j’espere,” I replied readily, summoning to my 
aid a large proportion of the French I had learned from 
Colonel Pinchard. 

“ Oh allez-vous done ? ” was next asked. 

This was a puzzler, for I could not remember the 
name of the fort, or, indeed, of a castle in French. 
Another big negro had caught Toby Bluff, and, of 
course, could elicit no information from him. They 
both laughed, as I fancied, at my attempts to speak 
French. I wanted to escape, if possible, without fight- 
ing ; but when I found that we were discovered, I put 
my hand to my belt to draw a pistol. It was imme- 
diately grasped by my captors, and wrenched out of my 
hand, exploding at the moment, though fortunately 
without injuring me. The negro was lightly clad, and 
possessed of three times my strength, so that I in vain 


MAUMAUUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 373 

Btruggied to free myself from him. Toby also was com- 
pletely overpowered, and they now began dragging us 
along up the hill. 

I felt very uncomfortable. We had failed in the 
object of our expedition, and I thought we should either 
be knocked on the head by our captors, or perhaps be 
shot for spies by the French, while, at all events, if 
allowed to live, we should be kept as prisoners foi 
months or years to come. Worked up to desperation 
by these ideas, I struggled violently to get free, calling 
to Toby to do the same. In my struggles I fortunately 
gave my captor a severe kick on the shins, when he, in- 
stinctively stooping down to rub them, let go his hold.- 
At the same moment, on my telling Toby what I had 
done, he imitated my example, and also getting free, off 
we set at full speed, pursued by the negroes. Where 
we were going I co^ld not tell, except that we were not 
running toward the shore. The negroes, having stopped 
for a few moments to rub their shins, came along almost 
as fast as we did, shrieking and shouting out to us all 
the time to stop. The louder they shouted the faster we 
ran, till we were brought up with the point of a bayonet, 
and the challenge of, — 

“ Who goes there ? ” 

“Friends — Doris!” I answered, recognizing the 
voice of one of our marines. 

The negroes, hearing an Englishman speak, bolted 
off through a plantation to the right, tumbling over each 
other, and had we been quick about it, we might have 
made them both prisoners. The marine told us that 
his party was a little further in advance, that they had 
32 


S74 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

been defeated in the attempt to storm the fort, and that 
Lieutenant Fig was waiting for further orders. We 
hurried on. Daylight was making rapid strides, and as 
tlie French would soon discover the smallness of our 
numbers, we should have their whole force down upon 
us, and we should be cut to pieces or taken prisoners. 

As soon as I had delivered the order to the marine 
officer, he gave the word, ‘‘ March — double-quick,” and 
off we set at a pretty smart run. Drums and fifes were, 
sounding in the fort, and as we crossed a ridge, I saw 
from the top of it a large body of troops coming out of 
the gate in pursuit of us. We could not proceed faster 
than we were marching, on account of the wounded, 
who were carried by the blue-jackets in the centre of 
the party. As it was, I perceived that many of the 
poor fellows, from the groans to which they gave vent, 
were suffering dreadfully. Still, it was impossible to 
leave them behind, for though the French might have 
treated them with humanity, the negroes would probably 
have murdered them, had they fallen into their hands. 
Daylight was increasing, of course, exposing us more 
clearly to the enemy. I never before had had to run 
away, and I cannot say that I liked the feeling, still 
there can be no doubt that in this instance discretion was 
the best part of valor. It would have been folly to stop 
and fight, as at any moment parties might appear, landed 
from the vessels we had attacked, and who might cut us 
off. The lieutenant of the Pearl, who commanded the 
seamen, had been killed in the attack, so that the entire 
command devolved on Lieutenant Fig, and, to do him 
justice, he behaved with great judgment 


MARMADUKE MERRY, TUE MIDSHIPMAN. 375 

The enemy, in strong force, were now rapidly ap- 
proaching us. At length we came in sight of the boats • 
the wounded were sent on, while the rest of the party 
faced about to encounter our foes. On they came, but 
the steady front exhibited by the marines made them 
lialt. Once more they advanced. We received them 
with a hot fire, and stood our ground, driving them back 
to some distance, but only for a few minutes, for as we 
were about to continue our retreat, again they came on, 
expecting by their greatly superior numbers to over- 
whelm us. Again and again they charged us. Several 
of our men had fallen, and it was too evident that they 
would soon cut us to pieces. Should we be once thrown 
into disorder, we should be destroyed before we could 
reach the boats. I found, too, that our ammunition was 
almost expended. Again the enemy came on, when, at 
the same moment, a loud huzza was heard in the rear, 
led by a voice? which I recognized as that of Jonathan 
Johnson, and on he came at the head of some twenty 
blue-jackets, flourishing their cutlasses like a body of 
Highlanders, and shouting at the top of their voices. 
This timely support encouraged our men, and charging at 
the same moment, we drove the enemy headlong before us. 

I had picked up a musket, and charged with the rest, 
and was carried by my ardor, or from not knowing ex- 
actly what I was about, ahead of my companions. I felt 
excited and highly delighted. The Frenchmen, how- 
ever, as they retreated, faced about every now and then, 
and fired. As I was cheering lustily, a shot struck me, 
and I fell. I thought no one had noticed me, as I 
heard Lieutenant Fig give the order to retreat. The 


?76 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

enemy at the same moment halted, and encouraged by 
the arrival of another officer, they again came on. It 
seemed all up with me, but my faithful follower, Toby 
Bluff, had seen me fall, and, springing forward, he 
threw himself in front of me, shouting — 

“ If any on you Johnny Crapeaus dares to hurt tlic 
young measter, now he’s down. I’ll have the life out 
of you ! ” 

Struck by Toby’s bravery, the Frenchmen for a mo- 
ment hung back, but they were again coming on, and 
would soon have overpowered him, when, on looking up, 
I saw Mr. Johnson stooping over me. In a moment he 
had lifted me, as if I had been a baby, on his left arm, 
and telling Toby to run, with his cutlass in his right 
hand, he kept the Frenchmen who pressed on him at 
bay. 

Thus fighting and retreating we reached the boats, 
and one of them having brought her bow-gun to bear on 
the enemy, loaded with grape, kept them at a re- 
spectable distance, while the rest of us embarked. 
They did not, indeed, approach the shore till we were 
fairly off, and though they peppered us with musketry, 
only one or two men were slightly hurt. However, 
altogether our expedition had been more disastrous than 
any in which I had ever been engaged. 

With heavy hearts we pulled on board. Mr. John- 
son, with the gentleness of a woman, bound up my 
wound. Poor Gray lifted up his head as he saw me 
placed by his side in the stern-sheets, and said, — 

“ What, Merry, are you hurt too ? There will be no 
need of shamming this time, to deceive Macquoid.” 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 377 

“ I am afraid not,” I answered faintly. “ But still 1 
hope we may live to fight the Frenchmen another day.” 

“ No fear of that, young gentlemen,” said Mr. John- 
son, who had overheard us. “ Keep up your spirits ; 
young fiesh and sinews soon grow together, and thei*e 
are no bones broken in either of you, I hope.” 

We all got at .length safely on board, when the 
wounded were without delay carried below, and placed 
under the surgeon’s care. He repeated the boatswain’s 
advice to Gray and me, and told us that if ^ we followed 
it we should soon be well. Two or three of the poor 
fellows brought on board alive, died of their wounds 
that night. We heard that Captain Collyer and Com- 
mander Ceaton were very much cut up at the failure of 
the expedition, and the loss of so many officers and men. 
I was especially sorry for McAllister’s death. Though 
eccentric in some of his notions, he was every inch an 
officer and a gentleman. 

We at once made sail, I understood, from the fatal 
spot, but the general wish was that we might fall in 
with the schooner elsewhere, or return and take her. 

Before many days had passed, I received a visit from 
my cousin. Sorrow had worked a sad change in him, 
and I felt grieved as I looked up at his countenance, of 
the bad report I should have to give of him to poor 
Bertha. 

It was fortunate for Gray and me that we kept at 
sea, for the weather was tolerably cool, and our hurts 
rapidly healed. 

The Doris had now been nearly four years in com 
mission, so that we expected, as soon as the cruise waj 
82 * 


378 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

up, to be sent home. We had all had enough of the 
West Indies, and we looked forward with eager satisfac- 
tion to the time when the white cliffs of Old England 
should once more greet our eyes. One sorrow only 
broke in on our anticipations of pleasure. It was when 
we thought of our gallant shipmates who had been cut 
off, who had hoped, as we were doing, once more to be 
united to those they loved so dearly at home. I should 
have been more sorry for Perigal than anybody else, 
had he been killed, but happily neither bullet nor fever 
seemed to hurt him, and I hoped that he might once 
more be united to his wife. I thought, too, of poor 
M‘Allister’s Mary, and of the sad news I should have 
to convey to her. However, I cannot say that I in- 
dulged in these, or other mournful reflections, for any 
' length of time. I was more thoughtful than I had been 
when I came to sea four years ago, but that was only at 
times when some occurrence made me think. Generally 
I spoke of myself as Merry by name and merry by na- 
ture, and was, I fear, still but a harum-scarum fellow 
after all. 

As may be supposed, the general subject of conver- 
sation in the berth, or during the night-watches, was 
home. Those who have never been from home, can 
scarcely understand the pleasure seamen experience, 
who have been long absent, in simply talking about re- 
turning home. There they expect to find peace, and 
quiet, and jest, those who love them, and can sympa- 
thize with them, and listen to their accounts of all their 
exploits and dangers and hardships. Such at that time 
were my feelings, and those of my friend Gray, but I 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 379 

am very certain that they cannot be the feelings of those 
who have given way to vicious habits, and whose only 
expectation is to enjoy their more unbridled indulgence. 
Tlie thought of a pure and quiet home can afford no 
joy to them ; they lose, I may say, one of the chief 
recompenses which those obtain whose duty calls them 
away from home, and all the loved ones there. 

Still our hope was deferred. We were, however, the 
gainers, in one respect, by this, for we took some of the 
richest prizes captured on the station, so that even we 
midshipmen began to feel that we were persons of 
boundless wealth. At length our orders arrived, and 
the shout ran along the decks, — 

“ Hurra, we are homeward bound 1 ” 


880 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN, 


CHAPTER XVI. 

To England we with favoring gale, 

Our gallant ship up channel steer ; 

When running under easy sail, 

The light blue western cliffs appear. 

How often and often have those cheerful lines been 
sung by young, and light, and happy hearts, beating 
high with anticipations of happiness, and thoughts of 
the homes they are about to revisit after long years of 
absence. Such was the song sung in the midshipman’s 
berth of the Doris, as once more our gallant frigate en 
tered the chops of the channel, and we were looking 
forward to seeing again those Western cliffs which often 
and often we had pictured to ourselves awake, and seen 
in our dreams asleep. 

I will not dwell on the feeling with which “ Sweet- 
hearts and wives ” was drunk on the last Saturday eve- 
ning in the midshipmen’s berth as well as in every mess 
in the ship ; not that the young gentlemen themselves 
had any one who could properly be designated as one 
or the other, but they might hope to have, and that 
was the next thing to it. 

I thought of poor MAllister, cut down in his early 
manhood, and of his poor Mary, and I resolved if pos- 
sible to fulfil his request, and to go and tell her about 
him. It was a task I would gladly have avoided. Then 
again, what an unsatisfactory account I must give tc 


MARMADtJKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 881 

Bertha of poor Ceaton. His expectation of dying soon 
might be mere fancy, but it was very evident that his 
spirits had never recovered the shock he had received 
when he killed Captain Staghorn, and he felt himself 
branded with the mark of Cain, 

I was far from recovered from my last wound, and 
altogether, my anticipations of pleasure were tempered 
with many causes for sorrow. However, I do not wish 
to appear sentimental, though I do wish to hint that 
midshipmen, even when returning home, must not ex- 
pect to find unclouded happiness. 

We had still some leagues to traverse, and it was 
possible that we might fall in with an enemy and have 
another battle to fight, before we could reach home. 
Not that any one bad any objection to so doing ; on the 
contrary, no one expected for a moment that we could 
meet an enemy without coming off the victor, and be- 
ing able to sail into Portsmouth harbor with our prize. 
A sharp look-out was accordingly kept on every side, 
as we sailed up channel, but by that time few French 
cruisers remained daring enough to show themselves 
near the British coasts, and the Needle rocks at length 
hove in sight, and with a leading breeze we ran up in- 
side the Isle of Wight, and anchored at Spithead, among 
a large fleet there assembled. 

After waiting two days, uncertain as to our fate, we 
received orders to go into harbor to 6e paid off. I 
need not describe the operation, nor the scenes which 
took place after it. Each man received a considerable 
sum, and I believe that before many days were over, 
half the number had spent, in the most childish way.^ 


J82 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

the larger portion, and some, every shilling of their 
hard-earned gains, and were ready again to go afloat. 

Most of the officers had gone on shore, and Spellman, 
and Gray, and I, and other midshipmen, were prepar- 
ing to take our departure, when we went to bid farewell 
to Mr. Johnson. 

“Mr. Merryi I hope that. we shall not part just yet,” 
he said with great feeling, taking my hand. “ The ship 
is to be left in charge of the gunner, and T have ob- 
tained leave to go up to London to visit my wife, and 
for other reasons.^ Now it will afford me great pleasure 
if you and Mr. Gray will make my house your resting- 
place on your w^y home, or rather I should say my 
wife’s house, for as I told you, she is a lady of inde- 
pendent fortune. Indeed, Mr. Merry, friends as we are 
afloat, I know the customs of the service too well to ask 
you, a quarter-deck officer, to my house, under other 
circumstances. 

Don’t speak of that, Mr. Johnson,” said I, feeling 
sure that he would be pleased if I accepted his invita- 
tion, and wishing perhaps a little to gratify my own 
curiosity. “ I shall be delighted to go to your house. 
You forget how much I am indebted to you for having 
several times saved my life, and that puts us on an 
equality on shore, if not on board ; besides, remember I 
know all about your wife, and I do not think that I ever 
returned you the letter you gave me for her when you 
thought you might be killed.” 

“ All right, Mr. Merry ; don’t let’s have any protes- 
tations: we’re brother seamen and shipmates, and 
thoroughly appreciate each other, though some of the 


MAh>lADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 883 

incidents I mentioned in my wonderful narrative might 
shake some people’s confidence in my veracity,” he re- 
marked, again grasping my hand. 

“ However, that is neither here nor there. You un- 
derstand me, and that’s enough. If you and Mr. Gray 
like, we will take a post-chaise between us, and post up 
to town. I am impatient to be at home, and you will 
have no objection, I dare say, to whisk as fast along the 
road as four posters can make the wheels go round.” 

Gray and I willingly agreed to Mr. Johnson’s prop- 
osition. Spellman was not asked, and^had he been, we 
concluded that he would not have accepted the invita- 
tion, so we said nothing about it to him. We had a 
jolly paying-off dinner, with the usual speeches, and 
compliments, and toasts. After the health of the King 
was drunk and all the Royal family, and other important 
personages, Mr. Bryan got up and said. 

Now, gentlemen, I have to propose the health of a 
shipmate, of, I may say, a brother officer of mine, Lieu- 
tenant Perigal, with three times three.” Saying this, 
he pulled out of his pocket one of those long official 
documents, such as are well known to emanate from my 
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. 

“ Come at last ! hurrah 1 — well, it will make my dear 
wife happy,” were the first words the delighted Perigal 
could utter. 

I honored him for them. Faithful and honest, he 
was a true sailor. I afterwards had the pleasure of 
meeting his young wife, and she was worthy of all the 
eulogiums he had delighted when absent to pass on her. 
He had picked up a fail share of prize money, other- 


:{84 MARMADUKE MEKRT, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

wise his half-pay of ninety pounds a year was not much 
on which to support a wife and to keep up the appear- 
ance of a gentleman. I was in hopes that Mr. Bryan 
would himself have been promoted, but he was not. 
Mr. Fitzgerald, however, very shortly afterwards re- 
ceived his commission as a commander. Bobus de- 
clared that it was because he had stood on his head 
before the king and made him laugh, or because he had 
amused some other great person by one of his wonder- 
ful stories. I met him one day, and congratulated him. 

“ Ah, merit, merit does everything, Mr. Merry, next 
to zeal,” he exclaimed, with a chuckle. 

“ You always were a zealous officer ; and now I think 
of it, you are the very midshipman who took off his 
trousers and blew into them, when no other sail or wind 
was to be had for love or money, and the captain was 
in a hurry to get your boat back. Fve often told the 
story since of you, and set it all down to your zeal.” 

“ Well, let this be your consolation, if others do not 
recognize your services, I will, when I am one of the 
Tiords of the Admiralty.” 

“ Well, sir,” said I, “I hope that you will make haste 
to climb up into 'that honorable position, or the war will 
be over, and I shall not have secured my commission.” 
I did not think that it would have been polite to have 
replied, I thank you for nothing, but certainly I did not 
expect ever to benefit much by his patronage. 

To return to the paying-off dinner. I wish that I 
could say that all present retired quietly to their respec- 
tive inns and lodgings as sober as judges ; but, with the 
exception of Gray and me, I believe that not one could 


MAUMADUKF, MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 38? 

Iiave managed to toe a plank, had they been suddenly 
ordered to make the attempt. I speak of things as they 
were in those days, not as they now are.^ Happily, at 
the present day it is considered highly disgraceful for 
an officer to be drunk ; and not only is it disgraceful but 
subversive of discipline, whether he is on or off duty, 
and thus injurious to the interests of the service, and 
])rejndicial to his own health and morals. Taking the 
matter nj) only in a personal point of view, how can a 
man tell how he will behave when he has allowed liquor 
to steal away his wits ? w’hat mischief he may do him- 
self, what injury he may inflict on others? In the 
course of my career I have seen hundreds of young 
men ruined in health and prospects, and many, very 
many, brought to a premature grave by this pernicious 
habit of drinking. 

“ Rut what is the harm of getting drunk once in a 
way ?” I have heard many a shipmate ask. 

I say, a vast deal of harm. How can you tell what 
yon will do, while you are thus once-in-a-way drunk ? 
I, an old sailor, and not an over straight-laced one either, 
do warn most solemnly you young midshipmen, and 
others, who may read my memoirs, that numbers have 
had to rue most bitterly, all their after lives, that once- 
in-a-way getting drunk, or, I may say, taking more than 
a moderate allowance of liquor. Many fine promising 
young fellows, who have at first shown no signs of caring 
for liquor, have ultimately become addicted to drinking, 
I'rom that most dangerous habit of taking a nip when- 
ever they have an opportunity. 

“ But why call that a dangerous habit ? ” shipmates 
33 


886 MAKMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN*. 

have asked me. “ A nip is onlyjtist a taste of spirits, 
raw it may be, or perhaps even watered. It’s a capital 
thing for the stomach, and keeps out cold, and saves 
many a fellow from illness.” 

So it may, say I. But it is the nip extra, I dread, 
with good reason ; the nip when no such necessity exists, 
or rather excuse, for a man may pass years without 
positively requiring spirits to preserve his health. How- 
ever, not to weary my readers with the subject, I will 
conclude it by urging them to be most watchful, lest 
they take the first step in this or any other vice. How 
many fall because they think that vice is manly. Which 
is the most manly person, he who yields to his foes, or 
he who, with his back to a tree, boldly keeps them at 
bay ? No greater foes to a man’s happiness and pros- 
perity than his vices — or sin. No man can expect to 
escape being attacked by sin, and those who are its 
slaves already cry out, Yield to it ; yield to it. It’s a 
pleasant master. Just try its yoke ; you can get free, 
you know, whenever you like.” 

Never was a greater falsehood uttered, or one more 
evidently invented by the father of lies. The yoke of 
sin is most galling ; it is the hardest of task-masters. 
The people who talk thus do their utmost to hide their 
chains, to conceal their sufferings, which giving way to 
sin has brought upon them. Do not trust to them, what- 
ever their rank or character in the world. I would 
urge you from the highest of motives, from love for the 
Saviour who died for you, not to give way to sin ; and 
I would point out to you how utterly low, and degrading, 
and unmanly it is to yield to such a foe — a foe so base 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 387 

and cowardly, that if you make any real effort to with- 
stand him, he will fly before you. Don’t be ashamed 
to pray for help through Him, and you are not on equal 
terms unless you do. That is not unmanly. Sin has 
got countless allies ever ready to come to its support. 
By prayer you will obtain one — but that One is all- 
powerful, all-sufficient. It is my firm belief that He, 
and He alone, is the only ally in whom you can place 
implicit reliance. Others may fall away at the times of 
greatest need. He, and He alone, will never desert 
you ; will remain firm and constant till the battle of life 
is over. 

Now some of my readers, perhaps, will exclaim, 
“ Hillo, Mr. Midshipman Marmaduke Merry, have you 
taken to preaching ? You, who have been describing 
that extraordinary old fellow, Jonathan Johnson, with 
his veracious narratives, and wonderful deeds. You’ve 
made a mistake. You’ve taken it into your head to 
write some sermons for sailors, and you’ve got hold by 
mistake of the manuscript of your own adventures.” 

Pardon me, I have made no mistake, I reply. When 
I was Midshipman Marmaduke Merry, I did not preach ; 
I did not often give good advice as I do now. I wish 
that I had, and I wish that I had taken it oftener than 
I did. What I do now is to afford the result of my ex- 
perience at the close of a long life ; and it is that expe- 
rience by which I wish you to benefit. I quote the 
Scriptures, and I believe in the Scriptures for many 
reasons. One of them is — that I have ever seen 
Scripture promises fulfilled, and Scripture threats exe- 
cuted. Now let mu ask you what would you say to a 


S88 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

man whose father, or some other relative, hud been 
storing up gold or other articles of value, and which, 
when offered to him, he should refuse to accept, on the 
plea that they cost much trouble, and occupied so many 
years to collect, that they must be useless ? You would 
say that such a man is an idiot. Yet is not experience, 
or rather the good advice which results from experience, 
treated over and over again by worldly idiots exactly 
in that way ? Do not you, dear readers, join that 
throng of idiots ? Take an old man’s advice, and pon- 
der over the matters of which I have just now been 
speaking. This exhortation has arisen out of our paying- 
off dinner. I might have given you a very amusing 
account of that same feast — though it was not “a feast 
of reason,” albeit it might have been a “ a flow of soul,” 
but I am not in the vein, the fact being, that paying-off 
dinners are melancholy affairs to look back at. How 
few of those assembled round the festive board, who 
have been our companions for the previous three, or 
four, or perhaps five years, through storm and battles 
and hardships, ever meet again ! 

Some have grown in honor, some have sunk in dis- 
honor; some have struggled on with services unrequit- 
ed, and have become soured and discontented ; others, 
again, in spite of their humble wordly position, have 
retained good spirits and kindly feelings, and though 
now old lieutenants with gray hairs, appear to be the same 
warm happy-hearted beings they were when midship- 
men. Should any of my readers not meet with the 
success they desire, I hope that they will belong to the 
last class; but Lam very certain that they will not, un- 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 389 

less, as midshipmen, they avoid evil courses, and fall 
not into the paths of sin. 

The morning after that paying-off dinner, Gray and I 
were up early, and had breakfasted, when a yellow 
chaise drew up at the door of the Blue Posts, and in the 
interior appeared seated a very dignified-looking gentle- 
man in plain clothes, whom we had no difficulty in dis- 
tinguishing as Mr. Jonathan Johnson. Toby Bluff, who 
was on the box, got down and opened the door, when 
Mr. Johnson, getting out, inquired with a paternal air, 
Avhether we were ready to start. 

Our portmanteaus, flattened and wrinkled, containing 
the remainder of those articles which on starting could 
with difficulty be stowed in our bulky chests, being 
strapped on, we jumped in, followed by Mr. Johnson, 
and Toby remounting the box, up High Street we rat- 
tled at a tremendous pace, exactly suited to our feelings. 

“ This is pleasant, isn’t it, young gentlemen ? ” ex- 
claimed Mr. Johnson, rubbing his hands. “I never like 
to let the grass grow under my feet either ashore or 
afloat. Sometimes, to be sure, one has to sit still, and 
wait to do nothing, the most trying thing in the world 
to do. However, when you do keep moving, take care 
to move forward. Some people move backward, remem- 
ber. I have from time to time given you bits of good 
advice, and I dare say that you have been surprised to 
hear them from an old fellow who could spin such an 
outrageous yarn as my veracious narrative, but I hope 
that its very extravagance will have prevented you from 
supposing for a moment that I am capable of falsehood 
myself, or would encourage it in others ; still I must 
33 


890 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

own that I have been guilty of a piece of deceit, though 
I did not at the first intend to deceive. I will tell you the 
circumstances of the case, and then condemn me as I 
deserve. I told you that my wife was a lady of lank 
and education. My father was really very well connected, 
and when I was a young man staying with him, I met the 
daughter of a country gentleman of property, with whom 
I fell in love, and she had no objection to me. Her 
parents, however, would not hear of the match, and I 
was sent off to sea. Though only a warrant officer, I 
always liked good society when I could enter it, and on 
one occasion some few years back, having gone for tliat 
purpose to Bath, I was introduced to a lady who was, I 
was informed, the Baroness Strogonoff. Before long I 
discovered that she was the widow of a Russian baron, 
and that she was no other than ray old flame. I found 
that she had always felt an interest for me, and in ffict 
that she would have married me had she been allowed. 
I naturally asked her if she would now, and she said 
Yes. I told her that I was now in the navy, and an 
officer, and though this was true, I felt tliat I committed 
a great fault in not telling her that I was only a warrant 
officer. 1 was flush of prize money at the time, and 
could make a very good appearance, which, as you may 
suppose, I did not fail to do. The result was that all 
her old affection for me returned, and that, to cut the 
matter short, we married. 

“ Here was I, a poor boatswain, the husband of a rich 
baroness, she, of course, you’ll understand, not knowing 
tliat I was a poor boatswain, or rather, what a boat- 
swain is. Now, if there’s one thing more than another 


MARIIADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN, 391 

sticks in my throat, it is the thought of a man being de- 
pendent on a woman, let her be who she may, for his 
support, if he can support himself. Now I had the 
greatest affection and respect for ray wife, but this feeling 
always came between me and my happiness. While 
living with her I only spent my own prize money on 
myself; and though I would gladly have remained with 
her, as soon as I was appointed to a ship I resolved to go 
to sea. I was not worse off than any post-captain or other 
officer in the service in this respect. I told her that duty 
called me to sea, and, though evidently with great unwil- 
lingness, she would not stop me in the path of duty. Ah, 
young gentlemen, my baroness is a true woman, and I 
only wish for her sake that I was a post-captain, and in 
the fair way of becoming an Admiral. She deserves 
it, anyhow. I have, I believe, a distant cousin a bar- 
onet, and as I believe that it gives me some importance 
in the eyes of her friends, I talk about him occasionally 
in their presence. Not that I care a fig for rank my- 
self, except so far as it might gratify her. So packing 
up my traps I joined my ship, not allowing any one on 
board to know even that I was married. I felt very 
sad, but I kept my affairs to myself, and tried to do my 
duty to the best of my power. I went to India, and 
you may be sure I collected all the most beautiful pres- 
ents I could think of for my dear wife. I picked up, 
too, a good share of prize money, so that I felt I might 
return home with a clear conscience, and the prospect 
of being well received. I was not mistaken, for 'my 
wife was overjoyed at my return, and would, I believe, 
have been so had I come back without a single jewel or 


892 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

shawl for her, and without a guinea in my pocket This 
time I was able to leave a handsome sum of money with 
her, of which I begged her acceptance, for you see I 
knew that if she died before me, I had always my pen- 
sion to fall back on, or Greenwich, and that I should 
have ample for all my wants ; and I felt a proud satis- 
faction in adding to her comfort and enjoyment by every 
means in my power, for I doubt if any other boatswain 
in the service can boast of having a baroness for his 
wife.” 

“I should think not, Mr. Johnson,” said I. “But 
then, I do not think that any nther boatswain in the 
service deserves one so much as you.” He pulled up 
his shirt collars and looked highly pleased at this re- 
mark. 

“ You think so, Mr. Merry ? You are a young gen- 
tleman of discernment in most matters, and I hope are 
so in this respect,” he answered. “ However, when you 
see the Baroness, I think that you will confess that a 
man must be worth something to be worthy of her.” 

Thus we talked on, and I fancy that our tongues 
were not silent for a minute together during the w'hole 
journey. 

The last stage we had four horses. 

“ I like to go home in style,” observed Mr. Johnson. 
“ Not on my own account, you’ll understand, but because 
it pleases the. Baroness, and makes her neighbors sup- 
pose that her husband is a person of consequence.” 

We darted along at a fine rate, and at length drew 
up at the door of a very pretty villa in the neighbor- 
hood of London, without having had to drive through 


Jl.VRMAOlJIvK MKKRY, THK M lOSUll’M AN. 393 


the city itself*. We sat still, while Mr. Johnson sprang 
out, and we saw him through the windows cordially 
welcomed by a really very handsorae-looking lady of 
somewhat large proportions, whom we had no doubt 
was the Baroness herself. In this conjecture we were 
right, and Mr. Johnson soon returning, introduced us in 
due form to her. She received us most graciously and 
kindly, indeed in the most good-natured manner, and 
told us that we were welcome to stay at her house as 
long as we pleased. She seemed a warm-hearted un- 
sophisticated person,' and I should have said not over- 
refined or highly educated. Had she been so, I confess 
that I do not think she would have married my worthy 
friend Jonathan Johnson. A room was quickly pre- 
pared for us, and we found ourselves in 'five minutes 
perfectly at home. We were shortly discussing a cap- 
ital dinner, and as I looked at our well-dressed host at 
the foot of the table, I could scarcely believe that he 
was the same person who, a few days before, was carry- 
ing on duty with chain and whistle round his neck as 
boatswain of the Doris. During dinner the Baroness 
announced that she had fixed on the following evening, 
before she knew of her husband’s intended return, to 
give a rout, and she pressed us so warmly to stay for it, 
that we, nothing loath, consented to do so. We were 
able to do this, as we had not mentioned any day posi- 
tively for our appearance at our own homes. We spent 
the next morning in visiting with Mr. Johnson the 
sights of London, but we returned early, as he was un- 
willing to be long absent from his wife. After dinner 
a host of servants came in, and in a rapid space of time 


394 JIAKMADL’KE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

prepared the house for the reception of the expected 
guests. It was well lighted up, and I was quite dazzled 
with its appearance. Still more so was I, when the 
Baroness came down glittering with jewels, and the 
guests began to assemble, and, as far as I could judge, 
there appeared to be a number of people of some rank 
and consequence among them. There was a conserva- 
tory and a tent full of flowers at the end of a broad pas- 
sage, all gaily lighted up, and several rooms thrown 
open for dancing, and a band soon struck up, and the 
Baroness introduced Gray and me to some capital part- 
ners, and we were soon toeing and heeling it away to 
our hearts’ content. We had plenty to say to the young 
ladies about our battles and other adventures, and of 
course we took care not to speak of Mr. Johnson, though 
more than one, I thought, pointedly asked what his rank 
was in the navy. I replied, carelessly, that he was a 
very brave officer, who had greatly distinguished him- 
self, and that he had more than once saved my life, so 
that there was no ^man in existence for whom I had a 
greater regard. I believe that my remarks, without 
departing in the slightest degree from the truth, were 
calculated to raise the gallant boatswain in the estima- 
tion of his wife’s friends. Scarcely had I sat down, than 
I was again on my legs, prancing with my partners up 
and down the room. I was standing quiet for a moment, 
having reached the foot of the dance, and placed my 
partner in a seat, when I felt a tap on my shoulder, and 
looking round, who should I see but Captain Collyer. 

“ What, you here. Merry ! ” he exclaimed. “ How 
had you the good fortune to be introduced to the 
baroness ? ” 


MARWADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 395 


“ Mr. Johnson brought us here, sir,” said I, very nat- 
Qrally, without a moment’s reflection. 

“ Mr. Johnson ! ” muttered the captain, in a tone of 
surprise. “ Who is he ? ” 

I was about to reply, when on looking up, there I saw 
him across the room, standing looking at us with a com- 
ical expression of vexation on his countenance. His 
eye catching that of the captain, he immediately ad- 
vanced, and said quietly, 

“ I was not aware. Captain Collyer, that you were 
coming here, or I should have let you know beforehand 
my position in this house. I know, as you are aware, 
the difference between a post-captain and a boatswain, 
and I should not have presumed to invite you, though, 
as master here, I am honored by receiving you ; but 
you see, sir, that you may do me much harm in my 
social position, or render me considerable service, in the 
way you treat me. I am in your hands.” 

“ I wish to treat you as one of the bravest and most 
dashing officers in His Majesty’s service deserves to be 
treated,” answered the captain, warmly. “How you 
became the husband of a lady of title, I will not stop to 
inquire, but I cannot help thinking that you will be 
wise to give up the sea, and to remain by her side. 
The service will lose one of the best boatswains who 
ever served His IMajesty, but the baroness will gain a 
good husband ; and I shall be happy to associate with 
one T esteem as a friend and equal, which the etiquette 
of the service would prevent under present circum- 
stances from doing.” 

“ I thank you most cordially, Captain Collyer — 


896 MAKMADUKK MKHliV, THK M 1 1 ►SH 1 1’>J AN. 

from in;y;^heart, 1 do,” exclaimed Mr. dolinson. “ Bvit 
you see, sir, I love the service dearly, and should be 
loath to quit it ; and I love my independence, and should 
be unwilling to lose that. I mean that I should be sorry 
to become dependent even on my wife for support, while 
I am able to work for it myself. I have explained my 
feelings and motives, and 1 hope that you will consider 
them right.” 

“ Indeed I do, and honor you for them,” answered the 
captain. “But still, Mr. Johnson, I think that you 
should take the lady’s opinion on the subject. I sus- 
pect that when she knows the true state of the case, she 
would far rather you remained at home than have to 
go knocking about the salt ocean, without the prospect 
of bettering yourself.” 

That’s the only fault I have to find with the ser- 
vice,” said Mr. Johnson. “ Perhaps I have been 
dreaming, when living on in hopes that some change 
might be made whereby I might benefit myself, that is, 
rise in the service, which has ever been my ambition. 
Why should not a warrant be a stepping-stone to a 
commission through extraordinary good conduct in the 
navy, just as a sergeant may hope to rise in the army ? 
I don’t mean, sir, that I wish to see the present class of 
boatswains obtain commissions, but with that reward in 
view, a better class of men would enter the service, and 
it would improve the character of the warrant oflicers.” 

“ So it might, but a large proportion would fail in 
obtaining their ends, and then we should have a num- 
ber of discontented warrant officers, instead of being, 
SIS at present, the best satisfied men in the service.” 


MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 397 

“There’s force in that objection, Captain Collyer; 
the matter requires consideration,” answered our host 
“ You must not rank me, however, among the discon 
tented ones. I have long made up my mind to take things 
as they are, though I hope that I should not have been 
found wanting, had I attained a far higher rank than I 
now hold.” 

While we were talking, I had observed a dapper 
little well-dressed man come into the room, and look 
eagerly around. He soon discovered the baroness, 
and having talked to her for some time in an animated 
style, he advanced wdth her toward us. He then ran 
forward, and taking Mr. Johnson’s huge paw in his 
hand, he wrung it warmly, exclaiming, 

“ I congratulate you, Sir Jonathan Johnson, and your 
amiable and charming lady — indeed I do, from the 
bottom of my heart — on your accession to title and 
property. As you never saw, or indeed, I fancy, never 
heard of, your relative the late baronet, your grief need 
not be very poignant on that account, so we’ll say nothing 
about it just now. I have been working away like a 
mouse in a cheese ever since I got an inkling that you 
were the rightful heir, and have only just discovered 
the last link in the chain of evidence ; and then, having 
rigged myself out, as you nautical gentlemen would say, 
in a presentable evening suit, I hurried off here ; and 
so there’s no doubt about it, and I should like to give 
way to an honest hearty cheer to prove my satisfac- 
tion.” 

Ouf friend’s countenance was worthy of the pencil 
of a painter, while the little lawyer was thus running 


398 MARMADUKE MERRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 

on. His astonishment Tor a time overpowered his satis- 
faction. 

“ I Sir Jonathan Johnson ! ” he at length slowly ex- 
claimed. “la baronet — I the possessor of a title and 
fortune — I no longer a rattan-using, call-blowing, grog- 
drinking, pipe-smoking, yarn-spinning boatswain, but a 
right real English baronet — my dear Baroness! I am 
pi-oud, I am happy, I am * ^ * and he threw his arms 
round his wife’s neck, in spite of all the company pre- 
sent, and bestowing on her a hearty kiss, gave way to a 
jovial cheer, in which Gray and I and the lawyer, and 
even Captain Collyer, could not help joining. 

The new Sir Jonathan, however, very soon recover- 
ing himself, became aware of the absurdity of his con- 
duct, and the guests, collected by the cheer, coming 
round to congratulate him, he apologized in a fitting 
way for his unwonted ebullition of feeling. In a won- 
derfully short time he was himself again, and no man 
could have borne his honors with a better grace. 

When the captain and Gray and I again congratu- 
lated him, he replied, “ I am much obliged to all my 
kind friends here, but I know that your good wishes are 
sincere.” 

Numberless speeches on the subject were made at 
supper, and when Captain Collyer shook his late boat- 
swain by the hand at parting, he assured Sir Jonathan 
that nothing had given him greater pleasure than so 
doing. 

“ All I’ll ask. Captain Collyer, is, that when you get 
a ship, you’ll give me a cruise some day. I don’t think 
that I could go to sleep happily if I was to fancy that 1 


MARMADUKK MKRRY, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 399 

should never have the salt spray again dashing into mv 
face, or feel the deck lifting under my feet.” 

The promise asked was really given, and Sir Tona 
than Johnson was afterwards engaged in one of the mos‘ 
gallant actions during the war, when, as a volunteer, hf 
led the boarders in his old style, and was mainly instru 
mental in capturing the enemy. 

After peace was established he bought a yacht, and 
many a pleasant cruise I took with him during those 
piping times, our old shipmate Perigal, to whom he had 
thus an opportunity of offering a handsome salary, acting 
as his captain. 

Toby Bluff, by his steady behavior and sturdy bravery, 
became a boatswain, and has now charge of a line-of- 
battle ship in ordinary at Portsmouth. 

The captain’s old servant at last came on shore, and 
took to gardening^ but as he usually pulled up the 
flowers instead of the weeds, he was directed to confine 
himself to sweeping the walks, which he did eflTectually, 
with delightful slowness and precision. He M'as one 
day in summer found sprinkling the housemaid’s tea- 
leaves over them, as he remarked, to lick up the dust. 

I have said nothing about my own family. It is a 
sad subject. Poor Bertha ! The gallant Ceaton never 
came home. His health gave way, but he did not die 
of disease. He fell on the deck of his own ship in 
action, at the moment the enemy’s flag was seen to come 
down, the cheers of his victorious crew ringing in his 
ears. 

Now, dear readers, old and young, farewell. 1 must 
bring these recollections of my early career as a Mid- 


400 M ARM A DUKE MERRY, THE MU'^SHIPMAN. 

sliipmaii to a conclusion. I wish that I had reason to 
believe they were as edifying as I hope they may have 
proved amusing. All I ask is, that you will deal lightly 
with the faults of the work. Take whatever good ad- 
vice you may have found scattered through the previous 
pages, and do not, by imitating the bad example of any 
of my old shipmates, give me cause to regret that I un- 
dertook to write this veracious history, as Mr. Jonathan 
Johnson would say, of the early days of 


Marmaduke Merry, the Midshipman. 



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i atom Fortune 

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•veetheart, Black... 


,15 

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.20 

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269. One False, both Fair. . .20 

270. Mudfog Papers 10 

271. My Novel, by Bulwer- 

Lytton. 3 parts (50 

272. Conquest of Granada. . .20 

273. Sketches by Boz 20 

274. A Christmas Carol .15 

275. lone Stewart, Linton.. .20 

276. Harold, Lytton, Parti .15 

Do., Part II 15 

977. Dora Thorne 20 

278. Maid of Athens 20 

279. The Conquest of Spain .10 

280. Fitzboodle Papers 10 

281. Bracebridge Hall 20 

282. The Uncommercial 

Traveler .20 

283. Roundabout Papers. . , .20 

284. Rossmoyne, Duchess. .20 

285. A Legend of the Rhine .10 

286. Cox’s Diary 10 

287. Beyond Pardon, 20 

288. Somebody’s Luggage, 

and Mrs. Lirriper’s 
Lodgings 10 

289. Godolphln, Lytton 20 

290. Salmagundi, Irving 20 

291. Famous Funny Fel- 

lows, Clemens 20 

292. Irish Sketches .20 

293. The Battle of Life 10 

294. Pilgrims of the Rhine .15 

295. Random Shots, Adeler .20 

296. Men’s Wives. . . 10 

297. Mystery of Edwin 

Drood, by Dickens. . . .20 

298. Reprinted Pieces from 

C. Dickens 20 

299. Astoria, by W. Irving. .20 

300. Novels by Eminent 

Hands .10 

301. Danish Voyages 20 

302. No Thoroughfare. .. ,10 

303. Character Sketches... .10 

304. Christmas Books 2() 

305. A Tour on the Prairies ,10 

306. Ballads of Thackeray.. .15 

307. Yellowplueh Papers. . . .10 
30S. Life of Mahomet, P’t I .15 

Do., Part II 15 

309. Sketches and Travels 
in London, Thack’ray .10 

310. Life of Goldsmith 20 

311. Capt. Bonneville 20 

312. Golden Girls, Alan Muir .20 

313. English Humorists ... .15 

314. Moorish Chronicles... .10 

315. Winifred Power 20 

316. Great Hoggarty Dia- 
mond 19 

317. Pausanias, Lytton 15 

3iA The New Abelard 20 

319. A Real <^aeen 20 

320. The Rose and the Ring .20 

321. Wolfert’s Roost, Irving ,10 

322. Mark Seaworth 20 



QEGRET 


gEAUTY. 

How to Beautify the Complexion. 


All women knowthat it is beAuty^^rsther thsn genius, which all generattons 
of men have worshipped in the sex. Can It be wondered at, then, that so much 
of woman’s time and attention should be directed to the means of developing 
and preserving that beautvl The most important adjunct to beauty is a clear, 
smooth, soft and beautiful skin. With this essential a lady appears handsome, 
even if her features are not perfect. 

Ladies afflicted with Tan, Freckles, Hough or Discolored Skin, should lose 
DO time in f rocuring and applying 


LAIRD’S BLOOM OF YOUTH. 


It will immediately obliterate all such in^erfectlons, and is entirely harm* 
less. It has been chemically analyzed by the Board of Health of New York City, 
and pronounced entirely free from any material injurious to the health or skin. 

Over two million ladies have used this delightful toilet preparation, and in 
every instance it has given entire satisfaction. Ladies, if you desire to be beauti- 
ful, give LAIRD’S BLOOM OP YOUTH a trial, and be convinced of its won- 
derful efficacy. Sold by Fancy Goods Dealers and Druggists everywhere. 

Price, TSc. per Bottle. Depot, 83 Jobn St., N. IT. 


'^FAIR FACES, 

And fair, in the literal and most pleasing sense, are 
those kept rnnsH and fubu by the use of 

BUCHAN'S CARBOLIC TOILET SOAP 

This article, which for the past fifteen years has 
had the commendation of every lady who uses it, is 
made from the best oils, combined with just the 
proper amount of glycerine and chemically pure 
carbolic acid, and is the realzation of a PEB- 
FKCX SOAP. 



It will positively keep the skin fresh, clear, and whit*; removing tan, 
freckles ana discolorations from the skiu; healing all eruptions; prevent chap- 
ping or roughness ; allay irritation and soreness ; and overcome ^1 unpleasant 
effects from4>er6piration. 

Is pleasantly perfumed ; and neither when using or afterwards is the slight- 
est odor of the acid perceptible. 

BUCHAN’S CARBOLIC DENTAL SOAP 

Clkans and preserves the teeth; cools and refreshes the mouth; sweetens the 
breath, and is in every way an unrivalled dental preparation. 

BUCHAN’S CARBOlilO MEDICINAL SOAP cures all 
. Sruptions and Skia Disease*. 



V , 

I 


JJ 












